Stand By You
by Anko-dono
Summary: A female student in Shirokin Gakuen. Much like Yankumi... in a sense that there are some things about her that she would rather keep a secret.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Stand By You

Disclaimer: Gokusen characters not mine. Kawakaze Jyuu mine.

Chapter One: The Belonging Place (a title of a book i read a long time ago... i liked it)

---

For the first time in their lives, all the 3-D students paid attention in Yankumi's math class. Not because they found the lesson interesting, but because they found the _girl_ standing beside Yankumi interesting. Shirokin Gakuen was an all-boys school, and the only three females in the whole school were Yankumi – math teacher and homeroom teacher of 3-D, Fujiyama-sensei – english teacher, and Kawashima-sensei – school nurse. Who was the new girl? She looked too young to be a teacher or a school nurse.

"Ohayou!" Yankumi greeted her students with a big smile.

"Ne, Yankumi," Minami shouted from the back. "Who's that cute girl?" He raised his eyebrows at Noda and Ucchi and the three of them waited for Yankumi's answer eagerly. Meanwhile, Sawada Shin, being his usual quiet self, just looked calmly at their teacher.

"Minna, this is Kawakaze Jyuu," Yankumi told all the students. "She's your new classmate."

"Nani!?" Ucchi exclaimed. "Are you kidding?" His other classmates gave Yankumi suspicious glances. Since when was Shirokin Gakuen accepting female students? And if she really was a student there, why was she placed in 3-D? Better yet, why would a girl want to study in Shirokin?

Everyone became quiet when Jyuu dragged herself lazily over to the only vacant seat at the back, beside Shin. She looked bored. Kuma stared at her colorful hair, which had a mixture of brown, red, caramel and yellow. With her simple, yet ragged outfit, Jyuu fit right in. Minami and Noda smiled at her and introduced themselves.

"Welcome to 3-D, Jyuu-chan!" Ucchi yelled. The other guys cheered.

Jyuu rolled her eyes and caught sight of Shin, who had started falling asleep on his desk. "Yamaguchi."

"Hm?" Yankumi looked up from the papers she was checking.

"Do I have to wear the uniform?"

"Oh... I haven't thought about it! I'll have to ask the Head Teacher."

Shrugging, Jyuu rested her elbows on her desk and stared back at the boys. They were all very curious about her, and she couldn't blame them. After all, her being there was strange. She wondered what they would think about her when they would find out about the reason. After what she did... she was lucky a school would even accept her.

"Jyuu-chan?" Noda, Minami, Ucchi and Kuma sat in front of her while Yankumi discussed about whatever she was discussing.

"Nanda?" _Geez, why do these bozos bother coming here? They don't listen, anyway._

"Do you want to hang out after school?" Minami asked her.

"Where?"

"We know a lot of good places," Noda said with a nod.

"Sure," Jyuu agreed. She didn't have anything to do and nobody would be looking for her, anyway.

"Ne, Shin," Ucchi shook the boy awake. "Did you hear that? Jyuu's hanging out with us later."

Shin grunted. "I'll pass."

"Shin-chan!" Kuma moved his chair in front of Shin. "It's just hanging out. I mean, Jyuu's our new classmate and all, it's our job to make her feel welcome."

"He doesn't have to come," Jyuu told them. But the others went on bothering Shin until he finally agreed. _He must be some kind of leader around here,_ Jyuu thought.

"Omai wa!" Yankumi yelled. "Pay attention even just this once!"

---

English class was a lot different from Yankumi's class. All the boys, except for Shin, moved their desks forward, nearer to the teacher's table. Jyuu found out why. Fujiyama-sensei was incredibly sexy and good-looking! Forcing herself not to laugh at the sudden change in the room, Jyuu took out a marker from her pocket and began to draw on her desk, whistling while doing so. It was silly, actually, seeing boys practicing their english eagerly, just to impress the teacher.

"Jyuu?" Fujiyama-sensei called out her name.

"Nanda?" It was her usual response.

"It's nice to have you here." The teacher smiled prettily. "If these boys give you trouble, just tell me, ne?"

"Uh-huh." _If these boys give me trouble, I'll scratch their eyes out._ "Of course, Fuji-sensei." Jyuu smiled just as prettily.

"Let's begin our lesson!"

"YEAH!" the boys cheered.

Soon the class was in progress. The only people at the back were Jyuu and Shin. Shin appeared not to care about good-looking teachers. Well, actually, he appeared not to care about _anything_ at all. Meanwhile, Jyuu was a girl, unaffected by Fujiyama-sensei's charms.

"Jyuu."

"...?" She glanced at Shin.

"You can draw anywhere but on the desks."

"Eh?" Jyuu looked at the drawings on the walls, lockers and on the blackboard. Then she looked at the desks nearest to her._ He's right_._ All desks are art-free! I wondered why mine was so blank..._ "Why's that?"

"The Head Teacher checks them."

Jyuu sweatdropped. "I used a permanent marker." _What do I do? What do I do?_ She panicked. "What do I do?" she finally said aloud.

Shin just shrugged. He decided the girl did things without thinking. _Just like..._ Shin thought about their one-of-a-kind homeroom teacher. The only figure in the entire school that managed to catch his interest.

"Damn," Jyuu muttered. "First day in a new school and I'm in trouble already."

"They'll probably let you off," Shin told her calmly. "Just tell them you didn't know."

_That's right,_ Jyuu thought, nodding. _I _really_ didn't know. Not that I asked, anyway. Or bothered to think._

Noda nudged Ucchi. "Look, Ucchi," he whispered. He nodded towards the two people at the back of the room. "Shin and Jyuu are talking."

Ucchi's eyes widened. He nudged Minami and Kuma, motioning for them to look at the back. "What do you think of that?"

"Hm..."

"Oi, Minami," Noda said. "You have that look on your face!"

Minami smiled. "Shin doesn't have a girl friend, right?"

"Right," Kuma said.

When Noda and Ucchi caught on to what Minami meant, they laughed out loud, causing the whole class to look at them.

"What?" Kuma asked. He had no idea what was going on!

"What's up?" the other guys asked. They stared at Noda and Ucchi curiously. Fujiyama-sensei tilted her head and told the class to pay attention.

"Yes, guys," Ucchi spoke up. "Listen to Fujiyama-sensei."

"Sorry we disturbed everyone," Noda apologized to the teacher sweetly. Even though he knew he didn't have a chance with Fujiyama-sensei, he still had a crush on her. As soon as the lesson continued, he and the others gathered, talking about things only they knew about.

---

Student weren't allowed inside the faculty office unless they had permission to enter. Jyuu, accompanied by Shin, Ucchi, Minami, Noda and Kuma, knocked on the office's sliding door. Unfortunately, the Head Teacher was the nearest to the door at that moment, and he was the one who greeted them. "Kawakaze Jyuu?"

"De, Kyoto." She bowed slightly. "I came to talk to you about something."

The Head Teacher glared at the boys behind Jyuu. "Are these guys bullying you?" he asked curtly.

"Nope," she answered. "I wanted to talk to you about—"

"Well, come in," the older man told her. "Only you."

The other teachers looked at Jyuu as she and the Head Teacher walked to his desk. They probably thought she was in trouble. _Well, I _am_ in trouble_, Jyuu thought. She took a seat.

---

"Well? What did he say?"

"He's not going to punish me," Jyuu told the guys. "But the desk I drew on will be used by me the whole year."

"Great!" Noda yelled. "Now it's time to par-tay!

They all grinned and walked out of the school, bumping into Yankumi, Fujiyama-sensei and Kawashima-sensei. "Omai wa," Yankumi said. "Where are you all going?"

"To have fun, of course," Minami replied. "Ne, Yankumi, where are _you_ off to?"

Just then, two guys showed up beside the women. Shin recognized them as the detectives that the three women befriended. Jyuu poked Yankumi. "Who's he?" she whispered, nodding discreetly towards the taller man.

Yankumi's eyes widened and she blushed like a high school girl. "That's Shinohara-san," she whispered back.

"He looks good."

"Ne, Shinohara-san!" Kawashima-sensei and Fujiyama-sensei talked to the handsome detective excitedly, completely ignoring the other one. Yankumi tried to get Shinohara-san's attention, too, but it was difficult to compete with the _tall_ Fujiyama-sensei and the active Kawashima-sensei. Shin rolled his eyes and told the others that they should get going. The teachers also left to have a drink with the detectives.

"Detectives are popular, aren't they?" Shin commented dryly.

"You sound jealous," Jyuu drawled.

"Shin? Jealous?" Kuma laughed. "He doesn't care about that stuff. He doesn't even have a girlfriend." Ucchi, Minami and Noda slapped Kuma's head.

"Eh?" Jyuu turned to Shin. "No girlfriend? I guess that's what happens when you have a crush on your teacher."

"...?" Shin raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" Ucchi hollered.

"Shin... likes Yamaguchi!" Jyuu squealed. She giggled madly and jumped on Kuma's back.

"Yankumi?" Minami tilted his head. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Yeah?" Kuma staggered as he walked with Jyuu on his back.

"Don't deny it, Sawada," Jyuu said. "I've seen you staring at Yamaguchi."

"Don't be stupid," Shin told her. His face maintained the blank expression, making it hard for the other guys to know how he really felt.

"Is it true, Shin?" Noda asked Shin quietly.

"Don't be stupid," he said again, rougher this time. Jyuu pouted and tightened her arms around Kuma's neck. She wondered why Shin was such a spoilsport. It made Jyuu want to tease him even more, just to get on his nerves. Someone had to crack that indifferent mask on his face!

---

"I'm home," Jyuu told herself as she closed the door behind her. As usual, silence greeted her. She sighed. At least she had fun that day. It was amazing how she immediately felt comfortable with the guys, like she'd known them all her life when in fact she only met them that day. They were all very interesting, and very accepting, too. Maybe someday she'll tell them why she ended up in Shirokin Gakuen. Maybe she'll even invite them to her apartment. After all, nobody would care if she did. Nobody cared about whatever she did!

She took out Instant Ramen from the cupboard and placed it on the coffee table while she waited for the water to boil. She turned on her component and turned up the volume. _I can dance away the past_, she decided, chuckling to herself. If the guys could see her, they would think she was crazy, dancing and shouting all by herself. But that didn't matter, did it? They were all pretty crazy themselves. Even Shin, with his ultra-cool attitude.

While they were at the karaoke place, the other guys had teased Shin about Yankumi, but he just either told them to bugger off or slept even while the music was playing loudly. _How do I get him to admit that he likes Yamaguchi? I swear, he stares at her!_ She stopped dancing and poured hot water on the noodles, then put a lid over the container.

Her cellphone rang. "Moshi moshi?"

"Jyuu?"

"Noda?"

"We're going to Shin's place," Noda said. "Come along."

"OK, sure," she replied cheerfully. "I don't know where his house is. Where should we meet?"

"Where do you live? If it's on the way, we'll just pick you up."

"Oh, never mind," Jyuu quickly told him. "Let's just meet outside the school or something."

"OK. Outside the school in ten minutes," Noda told her before hanging up.

Jyuu grabbed her jacket and was about to go out the door when she remembered her ramen. "Crap!" She took the container and a pair of chopsticks with her, then went out into the night.

---

"Cold," Jyuu complained even with her jacket. She shivered as she sat on the sidewalk. While waiting for the others, she ate up her ramen, which helped keep her warm.

"Oi, Jyuu-chan!" Minami rushed to her. "Let's go."

"What's that?" Kuma asked, looking at the container and the chopsticks in her hands.

"My dinner."

"Instant Ramen?" Noda's eyebrows went up.

"Yuh."

"Instant Ramen for dinner?" Ucchi shook his head. "That's not healthy, you know."

"Whatever." Jyuu rolled her eyes. They started walking towards Shin's house, keeping close to each other to keep warm. When they got there, Jyuu looked at the others in surprise. "An apartment?"

"Yup," Minami answered. "Shin lives all by himself."

"Really???"

"Weird, huh?" Noda spoke up. "He moved out of his parents' house when we were in first year, but we only found out about it this year."

"His father doesn't understand him at all," Kuma told her.

"Wow..." was all Jyuu could say.

"It's cool, isn't it? You get to do whatever you want." Ucchi led the others up the stairs and knocked on Shin's door. Shin opened it and asked them to come in.

_Sometimes it's cool_, Jyuu thought. _But mostly it's lonely._ "We're here, Shin!"

"I can see that."

"Where can I throw this?" she asked, holding up her ramen container. Shin told her where the trash can was.

Pretty soon they were all making themselves at home. Ucchi relaxing on the couch, Noda, Shin and Minami leaning against it while sitting on the floor, and Jyuu lying on the carpet, using Kuma's stomach as a pillow. The apartment was similar to Jyuu's, but there weren't any decorations. The walls were empty except for a target board that greeted you as soon as you walked into the room.

"Shin."

"Hn?"

"I should have known you live all by yourself."

Shin grunted and closed his eyes, Jyuu's cue to stop asking questions.

"I'm on my own, too, you know."

Shin's eyes opened. He and the others looked at Jyuu. "Are you serious?"

Nodding, Jyuu told them that when she was twelve, her single mother left her for some rich man. She took care of herself ever since. She did odd jobs, ate spoiled food and finally worked as a maid in a politician's home. Her boss's wife sent her to a private school, thinking that education would do her good. But suddenly, she was thrown out of the house, without being told the reason. Jyuu spoke slowly, like she was reliving every moment of her life.

"What happened after that?" Noda asked.

She went on, saying that she found herself homeless once again, until she saw her mother. "She gave me money," she said, laughing quietly. "She gave me a lot of money. I found an apartment, the one I live in now, and mum still gives me financial support. I understand she doesn't want me in her life anymore, but she also understands that it's her duty to provide for me, somehow. Even if it's just to send me money.

"I was able to continue in that private school that I attended before, though." She smiled at the others as if she was telling them someone else's story, and not her own.

"How did you end up in Shirokin Gakuen?"

"That's another story," Jyuu said. She stuck out her tongue and sat up. "Care to tell me yours, Sawada?" She laughed when Shin snorted and closed his eyes again.

"Man, I thought my life was hard," Ucchi exclaimed. "But it can't compare to yours, Jyuu-chan!"

"Things aren't so bad now, though. I mean, I get money. I'm in school. Even though it's a _boys'_ school. Hahah!"

"By the way, Shin-chan," Kuma suddenly spoke up.

"...?"

"About Yankumi?"

Jyuu laughed. "Yeah, yeah! Come on, Shin!"

"Shut up, will you."

"Is it true? Is it true?" Minami looked at him eagerly.

"No."

Noda's face fell. "Ho hum."

"If you don't like Yankumi," Ucchi started. "Who do you like then? Jyuu-chan?"

"Hey!" Jyuu boxed his chest.

"Sou da, sou da," Kuma joined in. He sat up beside Jyuu and hugged her tightly. "If you don't confess your love for Jyuu-chan, I'm going to squeeze her to death!"

"You just want to touch Jyuu-chan, Kuma," Minami cracked.

"Baka ittenna-yo!" Shin yelled while the others laughed.

"Sh-Shi..n," Jyuu said dramatically, as if dying. "H-hurry... and admit your undying love for me!" All of them laughed, even Shin.

"Baka," he muttered.

"Eh?" Kuma looked at Jyuu's suddenly limp form. Her eyes were closed.

"Kuma!?" Ucchi sat up on the couch.

"How tightly did you hold her?" Minami exclaimed.

"Stop joking, Kawakaze!" Shin looked on with furrowed brows, but Jyuu still wasn't moving.

"Is she dead?" Noda asked worriedly.

Shin shook Jyuu. "Oi. Kawakaze! Oi!" He continued shaking her while the others watched, frightened out of their wits. "Noda, get a glass of water!"

"Maybe she can't breathe," Ucchi said. "Is she breathing?"

"No," Shin replied. _Damn, I don't want anyone dying in my apartment!_ "Noda, hurry up!"

"Here's the water," Noda screamed. "What are you going to do?"

"Splash the water on her face," Shin said. "Go."

Just as Noda was about to pour the water, Jyuu sat up, waving her hands. "Yameru!"

"Jyuu!?"

"Were you just acting?" Shin asked, sweatdropping. He looked like he wanted to kill her.

"Uhm... Eheheh..."

"Jyuu-chan!" The others shouted. "You scared us!"

"Idiot," Shin muttered angrily.

"Ne... Shin-chan, you really do care about me, ne?" Jyuu giggled and pinched his cheek.

Kuma couldn't help but laugh. "It was the first time I saw him panic!"

"Shut up."

"You're really crazy, Jyuu-chan," Minami said, relieved.

"Eh, Shin? Where are you going?"

The door closed.

"Why did he go out?" Noda wondered out loud.

---

The next day, Yankumi raised her eyebrows when she saw Shin's empty seat. "Kumai-kun, Sawada doko na no?" She got curious when Kuma, Ucchi, Minami and Noda all looked at Jyuu. "What is it?"

"He was here a while ago," Minami answered for Kuma, coughing into his hand. Shin, they knew, was still pissed about Jyuu's joke. No matter how many times Jyuu had apologized, he still ignored her. He wasn't the type to hold grudges or to care too much, but he was just really pissed. Jyuu had made a fool of him.

"He's probably on the roof, resting," Noda whispered to Ucchi, who nodded.

"Oh, by the way, Jyuu, this is from the Head Teacher." Yankumi handed a brown package to the girl and grinned. "I think it's your uniform."

"So, I _do_ have to wear one." Jyuu tore the paper and help up the white blouse and black jacket, similar to the boys' but cut for a girl. The boys cheered when they saw that instead of black pants, the Head Teacher had given Jyuu a pleated black skirt. "This is like, way above the knee!" Jyuu sweatdropped. "It's just like the skirt I used to wear in my old school."

"Really?" One of the twins asked. "Did you go to an all-girls school?"

"Yeah."

"Jyuu-chan!" Minami crowed. "You never told us that!"

"You didn't ask!" she snapped. She hated skirts. _Short_ skirts most of all. "Can't I wear pants? Yamaguchi, do I really have to wear this?"

"I guess so." Yankumi shrugged. "It was the Head Teacher who gave it to you."

"Kyoto-sensei is a pervert!" Noda yelled. They all laughed, except for Jyuu, who was still complaining about her unlucky fate.

"Ne, Yamaguchi," Jyuu said. "How was your date with Shinohara-san yesterday?" All eyes turned to Yankumi.

"Eh? It wasn't a date, actually," she mumbled. "It was like a party. Anyway, it went well." In a hurry to change the subject, she said, "My, Jyuu, you sure are close with the guys now."

"Yeah!" someone agreed.

"Especially close to Noda!" somebody else exclaimed. The boys hooted.

Yankumi smiled hugely. "Maa, Noda..."

"It's not true, minna!" Noda insisted. "She's especially close to_ us_," pointing to himself, Kuma, Ucchi and Minami. "Oh, and super especially close to_ Shin_." The boys hooted once more, including Yankumi. Jyuu glared darkly at Noda.

"Baka."

They all turned to see Shin standing by the stairs. "Eh, Shin," Ucchi began, sweating.

"Jyuu," Shin drawled. "Outside."

"Huh? Wait, I didn't have anything to do with this. I didn't say anything," she quickly said. She yelped when Shin grabbed her wrist and led her towards the stairs. "Sawada! Kyaa! It's bad to hit girls! Kuma! Help me!"

"I'm not going to hit you, idiot."

"Sawada, where are you taking her?" Yankumi called out.

"Shin-chan! We were just joking around," Kuma shouted.

"I'm not going to harm her," Shin calmly told them, dragging Jyuu outside the room.

The whole room became quiet. Then Minami laughed. His laugh was so contagious the others had to join in. "Have you ever seen Shin like that!?"

"He's grown up," Yankumi declared. She raised a fist to the sky and looked up. "Young love is always so encouraging. Breaking all boundaries... letting go of coldness! Oh, this is all so moving!"

Silence.

"Yankumi. What the hell are you talking about...?"

"Let's start class!"

---

"Sawada, wha—?"

"Someone's looking for you."

"Why didn't you just say so? Scaring me like that..." Jyuu's voice trailed off when she saw the woman standing by the school entrance. She halted, unsure whether she should go on or turn back.

"Go."

Jyuu closed her eyes briefly, took a deep breath and continued walking, leaving Shin behind. "Ohayou gozaimasu, haha." She bowed, biting her lip. _What is she going to say to me now?_

"Jyuu," her mother said. "I've fixed the problem with your old school. You can go back there."

"Fixed? This fast?"

"I want you to go back there."

"Kaa-san!" Jyuu's eyes widened with horror. "I can't go back there! After what I did...!"

"Would you rather remain in this _all-boys_ school?"

Jyuu nodded emphatically. "Yes, mum. I'd rather."

"Very well, then." The older woman sounded like she was disgusted, but her expression never changed.

"Was that all you wished to tell me?" _Surely you didn't come here in person just for that,_ Jyuu thought.

"My husband and I will be leaving for America next week."

"..."

"We're bringing you with us."

_What? America?_ "Kirai desu." Jyuu looked at her mother seriously.

"You do understand, that if you stay here, I will no longer support you."

Biting her lip, Jyuu tried her best to stop shaking. She would stay. She would stay no matter what! Even if it meant living in the streets. She clenched her fists. What she was afraid of was coming true... she would be completely helpless again. But wait...! Lifting her head, Jyuu stared into her mother's eyes. "I can work."

"Who would accept an undergraduate?" her mother scoffed.

"I'm sure I can find work."

"You'll have to move out of your apartment when the month is over. Where will you stay?"

"I'll find a place."

"Frankly, I'm happy you're not coming with us. You would spoil the atmosphere."

Jyuu gasped. "How can you be like this? Am I not your daughter?"

"I wish you weren't."

Unable to fight anymore, Jyuu shook from head to foot. This woman... was she really her mother? She realized that she would always be alone. Her mother was still alive, but she was an orphan nontheless. Nobody cared for her. All those financial provisions were just out of obligation. That was the only connection she had with her mother! But it didn't mean anything. "I-I will go back to class."

"Pretty soon you won't be able to pay for school. The month is almost over, is it not? You will have to leave this place."

"Mou yo," Jyuu told her. She gave her mother a glare and turned her back on her, walking back to where Shin stood, waiting. _I will die. When the month is over, I'll have to go back to my old life..._

---

"Doushta?" Shin asked. He had heard the conversation, but he didn't want Jyuu to know that.

"Nothing." Turning away from Shin, Jyuu felt her tears fall down her cheeks. She hadn't cried since she was a child, and she thought she never would. But her mother proved her wrong. Why, of all people, was her mother the one set to make her life miserable? She roughly wiped away her tears and took a deep breath. _I can take care of myself. I'll survive! Even if I'll have to eat food not fit for even the dogs!_

"I'm sorry, Kawakaze."

"So you heard after all?"

"Sometimes parents are the ones hurting their children," Shin said as they both stood beside the garden. He saw Jyuu's red nose and red eyes and handed her his handkerchief. He couldn't believe it. Jyuu's life was good enough for a book. Probably even a movie! He didn't know there were mothers as heartless as the woman he just saw. And now that he did, he understood Jyuu completely.

"Shin..."

"Hn?"

"Why does life have to be so hard for me?" Jyuu sobbed. "I'm a girl, dammit!" She slapped her own face as if to make herself stop crying. Blowing her nose on Shin's handkerchief, she ran back inside their classroom.

---

"Heh!? Jyuu-chan! Doushta no?" Noda rushed to the girl's side, Yankumi and the others behind him.

"Nandemo nai, nandemo nai," Jyuu told them, waving her hands and smiling.

"Shin-chan! Did you hurt her?" Kuma stared in disbelief at his friend.

"He didn't!"

"Jyuu, what happened?" Yankumi asked.

"Yeah, tell us!" Ucchi insisted.

Feeling fresh tears pooling in her eyes, Jyuu hastily excused herself and ran into the bathroom. There she sobbed as she had outside, only more freely because she was alone. At least she _thought_ she was alone. After a few minutes or so, Jyuu realized that somebody else was in the bathroom with her. "Kawashima-sensei?"

"Maa... what's wrong, Jyuu?"

Just as Jyuu was about to speak, the door banged open. Noda, Minami and Ucchi rushed in. "Omai wa! This is the girls' bathroom!"

"Are you feeling OK, now, Jyuu-chan?"

"Ne, Noda, I really appreciate your concern," Jyuu told him honestly. "I'll tell you guys everything when I'm ready."

"Hai, hai," Ucchi said. "Come on, let's get out of here. The others are really worried."

"You're not sick, then?" Kawashima-sensei asked. She smiled at the boys. "You guys, take good care of Jyuu, ne!"

"Hai, Kawashima-san!"

---

Yankumi sighed as she drank wine with her grandfather. She was really concerned about her new student, but she wouldn't tell her anything. Shin knew something, but he wouldn't tell anyone either. She knew all about Jyuu's background, she knew her mother took off with a rich man and came back to give a little money and a little attention. "Eh!?"

"Nani?" her grandfather asked with raised eyebrows.

_Perhaps Jyuu's problem has something to do with her mother! _"That's it!" she muttered. Realizing that her grandfather was looking at her, Yankumi smiled sheepishly. "I think I have an idea what's wrong."

"Well, Kumiko," the old man said. "I'm sure you'll be able to help. If you will just be patient, and offer a listening ear, your student will confide in you, sooner or later."

"You're right..." _These kids really do need me. I can't focus on anything but my teaching career right now! I'll take care of those kids!_

---

The 3-D guys whistled when they saw Jyuu in her uniform. Even in the midst of her problem, Jyuu had to admit she still enjoyed her friends. It was a beautiful morning, after all, so why not have fun? She knew she would have to leave Shirokin Gakuen soon, and she was determined to make her last days there memorably pleasant. "Ohayou, Yamaguchi!"

"Ohayou, Jyuu!" _Hmm... she seems cheerful today._

"How do you like my skirt? My short, short skirt," she said, moving her hand up her thigh daringly. They all burst out laughing at her acting, cheering and hooting as though they didn't have any worries at all. Last night, Jyuu had told Ucchi, Noda, Minami and Kuma everything. They were all shocked to know that her mother found it OK to leave her to fend for herself.

"You should go with her," Minami had said. But Jyuu told her that if she did, she'd be ignored and abused, since her mother made it clear that she detested her company.

"Yoshi! Minna," Yankumi shouted over the noise. "Let's forget about lessons and have a game of basketball!"

Silence.

"Yankumi..." Minami began. "What has gotten into you?"

"If you move and sweat as much as you can, you'll forget all the problems of your youth!"

"Problems of our youth? What the hell is that?" Somebody asked.

"You just want to play!" Kuma yelled.

Yankumi's face darkened. "Play or take a math test."

We all know their answer.

---

"Nye, nye, nye, nye, nye!" Yankumi stuck her tongue out at Shin, who she managed to steal the ball from. She passed the ball to Jyuu, who easily got the ball into the basket. "Nice shot, Jyuu!"

Jyuu winked. Suddenly, she threw the ball at Shin's face. "Stop staring at my legs, idiot!" she snarled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Shin touched his painful cheek. "I wasn't staring."

"Oh. I was just checking."

"Good one, Jyuu-chan!" Noda whooped, raising his arms.

_Whose side are you on, anyway?_ Shin glared at Noda. He grabbed the ball and scored points for their team. He'll win this game. To get back at Yankumi and Jyuu's teasing. When those two girls were together, they were the most annoying pair anyone could ever imagine. They were both childish and dumb! Well, at least they _appeared_ to be childish and dumb, but the things Shin knew about them made him understand that they weren't as stupid as they looked. The things they went through and the things around them were unlike those of the people he knew. Even himself.

"I quit!" Jyuu bellowed. "Yamaguchi, let's rest, ne!"

"Yeah," the teacher agreed, breathless from all the running. She grinned at Jyuu. "You're a good player!"

"Sono touri!" the younger girl agreed, giggling.

"You sure are full of yourself," Shin muttered, sitting on the ground beside her.

"You're just mad because I'm better than you."

Shin snorted and brushed back his hair with his hand. "Baka."

"Do you want to borrow?" Jyuu held up her extra barrette. "Ne, I'll tie your hair for you."

"Never mind." But his words went ignored as Jyuu knelt behind him, grabbing his hair. "What are you doing?"

"I'm braiding your hair." Jyuu said it as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

"I don't want you to braid my hair."

"All right," Jyuu agreed reluctantly. She kept his hair in a simple ponytail instead. Yankumi smiled as she watched them, her eyes all shiny and dreamy.

"Jyuu-chan! Don't make me jealous!" Ucchi teased from across the court. The guys laughed and made kissing noises, causing Jyuu to sneer.

"Maa, you guys are simple-minded."

Shin looked away uncomfortably. He was seldom the center of attention, and when he was, he didn't like it. A faint breeze cooled his neck and he decided he was thankful for the barrette. Why were they all so fired up about Kawakaze, anyway? She wasn't even a woman! Shin snorted, thinking about Jyuu's skinniness and boyish actions. He stood up and stretched, wondering what Jyuu would do about her problem. Maybe if she told Yankumi, she'd be able to help. When she suggested that to Jyuu later, she just shrugged.

After the class had rested, they went back to the classroom for the next subject: English. Noda quickly wiped away his sweat and changed back into his uniform. No sense in letting Fujiyama-sensei see him all sweaty. The others changed, too, then moved their desks forward, taking out their books even though the teacher wasn't around yet.

"Ohayou, Shizuka-chan!" the class greeted Fujiyama-sensei as soon as she walked in.

"Ohayou, minna," she responded with a cute smile.

Ucchi helped Jyuu carry her desk forward, leaving Shin alone at the back. Not that he noticed. He was asleep! Jyuu sat between Ucchi and Minami, thrilled to start the english lessons. She knew she was fluent in the language, but she wanted to hear the others, too. She participated in the simple exercises, helping her friends with their pronunciation and intonation. At least she learned something from her old school. It was a good school, actually, but she didn't fit in. She was rough and far more exposed to the harshness of life than the rich, stuck-up girls around her.

---

Flashback

"Jyuu-chan!"

"Hm?"

"Have you seen the latest issue of Sweet Teen?"

"No."

"You're no fun to talk to about this stuff."

"It's useless."

"It's not!"

"Listen, you don't need those things in real life."

"Jyuu-chan! _This_ useless magazine tells me how to have a boyfriend, and what to do when I have one!"

"Boyfriends are useless, too."

---

_Those were some silly conversations,_ Jyuu thought with a dry smile. Her classmates were silly girls, too. There was one girl who was different, though, and the thought of her made Jyuu shiver because she was reminded about what she did. _I wasn't completely the one to blame, right? If I hadn't fought back, I would have died._ She shook her head as if she could shake away her thoughts. _Now I wish I'd died then—_

She jumped when somebody placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Eh, Jyuu-chan? Doushta no?"

"Oh, Ucchi." Jyuu sighed with relief. "Nanda?"

"Class is over."

"Is it? How come so soon?"

"The teachers are having a faculty meeting today," Minami said. "They're going to talk about our field trip."

"Field trip?"

"Yes," Ucchi answered. "3-D is going to Okinawa as a graduation trip." He and Minami grinned, teeth sparkling as they imagined the beaches and the girls they would see there.

"When will it be?"

"Probably two weeks from now," Minami told her. "Kyoto-sensei is still assigning chaperones."

_Oh, darn. I can't go,_ Jyuu thought in dismay. _A trip would be fun, but I have to save my money... Before this month is over, I have to find a job!_

"I can pay for your trip expenses."

"Eh? Shin!?"

Shin stood behind their chairs. He yawned. His hair was still in a ponytail, and Jyuu thought it looked great. "I can pay for you," he said again.

"Yeah," Noda spoke up as the other students left the room. "We can all pay for you."

"YEAH!" Kuma and Minami shouted. "We'll pay for you!"

Shin smiled. "You'll be able to go. It happens before the end of this month."

Jyuu sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Sugoi... you're willing to do that for me?"

"Of course, Jyuu-chan!" Ucchi said. "You're new, but we know you're a good friend."

"Uh-huh. Our allowances will be enough," Noda commented.

"You're all great," Jyuu exclaimed. "You may seem tough, but you do care for your friends. Thanks for everything."

The five guys smiled. They had met a lot of girls, but none of them were very friendly to them, especially since they studied at Shirokin Gakuen, which had a not-so-good reputation when it came to the school's students. To them, Jyuu was like an encouragement, that there really were girls out there who still accepted them.

---

"Ne, Yamaguchi-sensei," Kawashima-sensei said. She and Yankumi were drinking with Shinohara-san and his friend again.

"Yes?"

"Is there something wrong with Kawakaze Jyuu? She's in your class, right?"

"Well," Yankumi said thoughtfully. "She's facing something I don't really know about. Why?"

"Yesterday, I saw her crying in the bathroom. Do you think it has something to do with the 3-D boys?"

"No," Yankumi quickly said.

"You're just saying that because they're your students."

"That's not it! You see, my boys like Jyuu. They fuss over her like she's their pet or something."

"Hmm... That could be true," Kawashima-sensei finally said, thinking about how Noda and Ucchi had comforted Jyuu in the bathroom.

"I'm really happy she came to Shirokin..."

"Who are you talking about, Yamaguchi-sensei?" Shinohara asked.

"Uh, my new student."

"A female?" The detective looked surprised.

"Hai. The school made this one exception. Kawakaze Jyuu got in trouble in her old school, but her grades are excellent, and her mother's new husband is very rich, so Shirokin Gakuen accepted her. I say, I saw her old report card and everything's top score. The only comment there is that she was always late and she always slept in class."

Kawashima-sensei laughed. "Sounds like Sawada Shin."

Shinohara's friend raised his wine glass. "To the beautiful future of your students!"

"To the beautiful future of my students!" Yankumi echoed.

---

Author's Note: this is a very old story i wrote... i decided to upload it, for something new. Heheh. Hope you all like it. Review, if you please. hahah


	2. For A Living

Title: Stand by You

Hi Thanks to those who have read and reviewed! You all encourage me. :) . Hope you'll enjoy this one... not so much meat, but i'm just setting the groundwork for the next chapters.

Disclaimer: Gokusen characters not mine. Jyuu mine. :) .

Chapter 2: For A Living

---

Once again Jyuu and the guys were hanging out at Shin's apartment. They were all pretty much asleep, but Minami suddenly spoke up. "Hey, Jyuu-chan..."

"Hm?"

"Didn't you say you had to stop schooling a while back?"

"Uh-huh."

"Like, when you didn't have money to pay for school and all?"

"Yeah."

"How old are you?"

"Now?"

"Of course he means now," Shin muttered. His arms were covering his face as he rested on the floor, and he had the appearance of being asleep, but apparently he was listening to the conversation.

Jyuu smiled a huge smile and stuck her tongue out at Minami. She didn't say anything.

"What? Are you older than we are?"

That question caused Jyuu to laugh loudly, loud enough to wake the others up. "Forget it, Minami! I'm not telling you anything."

"Tell you what?" Kuma asked groggily. He glanced at Jyuu, then at Minami. "What's going on?"

"Hey everyone!" Minami yelled. "We've been hanging out with obaa-san!"

"Oh shut up!" Jyuu's face darkened while the others teased her. "For your information, I'm only—" she caught herself before she revealed her age. She had to smile when she saw the boys' expectant faces. Even Shin was paying attention.

"Come on, Jyuu-chan! Just tell us!" Minami looked at her with pleading eyes, similar to a puppy's, but Jyuu shook her head.

"Forget it, you guys."

"Well, OK, if you want to keep it a secret, we won't force you," Noda said. "It doesn't matter how old you are, anyway. Although we're very curious."

"How about we talk about tomorrow instead? Tomorrow's Saturday," Ucchi reminded them.

"What do you mean tomorrow?" Minami exclaimed when he saw what time it was. "It's nearly 2AM now!"

"Kyaa How could we have lazed about for that long?" Jyuu checked the wall clock just to be sure. "It was only ten the last time I looked."

"You seriously need more windows, Shin," Noda told the sleepy-eyed owner of the apartment. "We could get lost in time here."

"Or maybe that's what you like about this place, ne?" Jyuu poked a finger at Shin's face.

The boy just grunted.

"OK, so what are our plans for _today_? Later today, I guess. I don't know about you, but I need real sleep." Ucchi stretched his arms and lied down on the couch. In a few seconds, he was asleep.

"So much for planning." Noda rolled his eyes.

"I have to go at about eight or nine," Jyuu announced.

"How come?" Shin asked.

"I have some things to do."

The boys left it at that, since it was clear she didn't want to say anything more about it. "Let's meet up at night then," Kuma decided. "We'll probably be here all day. We can just call you up to tell you where we'll be."

"Good idea," Jyuu agreed with a nod. "Oi, Sawada, can I borrow a shirt and a pair of jeans? I can just take a bath here. I don't want to have to go home just for clothes, so can I borrow? You're as thin as I am, anyway."

Shin shrugged. It was fine with him. And his clothes were fine with Jyuu, too. She wasn't the fussy type of dresser, and besides, Shin had to admit that she looked really good in boys' clothes. Yawning, Shin closed his eyes and fell asleep again.

Soon after, the room was quiet.

---

It was past four o'clock in the afternoon, and Jyuu felt herself sink into depression. She had spent hours and hours looking for a job, but the shops were either not hiring at the moment or they were looking for graduates. It didn't matter to them that Jyuu was quick to learn and very determined to do well, all they saw was that she was an undergraduate. And female.

_Damn. I'm tired. And hungry._ Jyuu looked around and realized she was in the Ginza district. She passed by a host club and was irked when a man whistled at her.

"Hey! Hey woman!"

Jyuu ignored him and started to walk away, but what the man said next made her stop. "What did you say?"

"I said, you could work for us. We're expecting important customers later, and we need more workers. You'll do."

"You mean... as a hostess?"

The man snorted and laughed out loud. It took him about a minute to catch his breath. Jyuu looked at him wearily, somewhat annoyed at the insulting laughter.

"Not as a hostess... but a helper, you know, to help serve and clean up... How does it sound to you?"

Despite being slightly offended, Jyuu was relieved to hear that the job was not to be a hostess. She nodded eagerly at the man and agreed to work. "What time do I start? What about the pay?"

"The pay's not bad, I tell you. You start at seven o'clock tonight. Show up about an hour before that, got it?"

"What's your name, sir?"

"Just call me Kaguro."

"All right, Kaguro-san."

Kaguro looked at his watch and raised an eyebrow. "It's almost five. Can you start now?"

"Sure sure!" Jyuu replied. "Do I have to wear a uniform?"

Kaguro looked at the white shirt and jeans Jyuu was wearing. He thought for a while then shook his head. "Your clothes will do fine. We'll give you an apron later. Come on in, I'll introduce you to the one who'll be in charge of you."

---

Soon after being recruited, Jyuu saw that Kaguro was right. They really did need more workers. Sayuri's Host Club was filled with big-time-looking customers, including a group which was clearly composed of Yakuza members. "Where do these guys come from, anyway?" Jyuu asked the cook.

"From all over Japan. Now get back to work and take these drinks out," the cook snapped. He was in a bad mood, considering all the work he had to do. He waited until Jyuu was holding the tray of drinks, then he pushed her towards the busy guest area.

Jyuu rolled her eyes and approached the businessmen's table. When she got there, she heard the Yakuza group nearby complaining about the lack of "girls" to entertain them. Jyuu grinned at their funny comments and started to distribute the drinks to the more reserved businessmen. "Please enjoy."

"Oi," a voice whispered behind her. Jyuu turned and saw Kaguro standing there.

"What?" she asked as they walked back to the kitchen.

"Get changed. There's been a change of plans."

"What?" Jyuu asked again, this time in disbelief. Kaguro was handing her a dress that looked too small. It was crimson and made of shiny silk. Jyuu's eyes widened and she gave Kaguro a dirty look. "I'm not wearing that."

"The pay's gonna be bigger," Kaguro promised.

That made Jyuu think, but still, her dislike for dresses won. "I don't care. I'm not wearing that. And I'm not going out there to serve as a 'fun girl' for those stupid men."

"Those 'stupid' men are the ones putting money in your pocket." Kaguro frowned at Jyuu. "It's either you do this, or you're fired." He smiled to himself when he saw the dismayed look on Jyuu's face. He knew the girl needed money. He didn't know her story, but it was obvious she needed the job.

"How cruel of you, Kaguro-san," Jyuu wailed.

Just then, a man entered the kitchen. Jyuu guessed he was Suzuki, the partner that Kaguro mentioned to her a while ago.

"Kaguro! Where are the new additions?" Suzuki caught sight of Jyuu. "That girl's too skinny. Where are the others?"

"She's all we have for now. We don't have any other options. Sano's still out there looking for new girls."

"Fine. This girl will do. Hurry up, girl! Get changed!"

"All right, all right!"

"Hey, wait!" Suzuki called out.

"What?"

"Are you under-age? We can't have you working here if you're under-age! A nearby club got busted last week, and the heat's still on around here."

"I'm _not_ under-age!"

---

"Let's go to the karaoke house," Noda suggested to the others. It was seven-thirty in the evening and they were all willing to have fun.

"That's a good idea," Minami agreed.

"Call Jyuu, then," Ucchi told Noda. He poked Shin awake, as he was asleep again. "Shin, we're going singing. Get up." Shin did as he was told and stretched his arms.

"Where's Jyuu?"

"I'm about to call her," Noda said, dialing her cellphone number.

"Shin-chan! Looking for Jyuu?" Kuma teased Shin, but he was ignored.

"Yo, Jyuu," Noda said into his phone. "We're off to the karaoke place. Be there!" He was silent for a while, listening to Jyuu on the other end. "What? You're busy? Where are you?" He made a face and put his phone back in his jacket pocket.

"What did she say?" Minami wanted to know.

"She's busy..."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know. She hung up."

"Did she sound like she was in trouble?" Shin asked.

"Nah. She sounded really busy, though. So, should we go now?"

"Let's!" screamed Kuma.

---

The dress wasn't uncomfortable in itself. In fact, it was almost like it wasn't there. _That_ was what made Jyuu uncomfortable. She tugged at the hem, helplessly aware of her exposed legs. She sighed as she thought of her friends. _They must be having a blast by now... _she sighed again. _I'd wanted to go karaokeing, too..._

"Oi, Jyuu! Hurry up and get out here!"

"Oi, Kaguro-san," Jyuu got out of the dressing room. Her face looked pale. "I'm no good at this. And really... I feel sick."

Kaguro studied her and nodded. "You'll do fine. You're not as skinny as you look in jeans."

"Are you even listening to me? I'm saying I don't want to do this. I don't care if I lose the job," the slim girl said weakly.

"You can't back out now. We need you, Kawakaze."

Jyuu looked at Kaguro's weary face and felt sorry for him. He was obviously trying his best to do good in his business. _Such a shame I can't be better than this_, Jyuu thought. "Well, all right. But wouldn't it be bad for the club if I mess up?"

"You can pull this off, I'm sure." Kaguro smiled and nudged Jyuu out towards the guests.

"The _yakuza_? You're handing me over to the yakuza?" Jyuu hissed.

"You can do it." Kaguro winked at her. "By the way," he said.

"Hm?"

"You look great."

"Thanks."

"Now go!"

---

"_LINDA LINDA! LINDA LINDA LINDA!_" Kuma screamed into the microphone. He bounced on one of the sofas and spread his arms as his finishing touch to the song. He tossed the mic to Ucchi and panted. "Fuu I'm tired."

"Who wouldn't be, moving around that much?" Minami rolled his eyes. He took a sip from his drink and leaned back. "I wonder where Jyuu is now?"

"I'll try calling her again," Noda said, taking out his phone. He dialed Jyuu's number and waited while her phone rang. When there was no answer, he pocketed his phone and shrugged. He took hold of the song book ang started flipping the pages to pick something to sing.

"You look worried, Noda," Minami observed. Shin was also looking at the orange-haired boy's face.

"I'm just wondering what Jyuu's up to, this time."

---

"Hey, good evening," Jyuu greeted the yakuza men. She sat between a man the others called 'Wakagashira' and another man they called Tetsu (Tetsu in the drama, but Minoru in the manga). Though the men were rough and loud, they weren't perverts, and Jyuu felt OK around them.

"Hey, I'm Kyo," 'Wakagashira' introduced himself. "What's your name?"

_Oh, so your name's Kyo..._ "I'm Jyuu" she replied, pouring the others a drink while they introduced themselves. There was a total of five men at their table: Kyo, Tetsu, Minoru, Shiro and Wakamatsu. She felt awkward moving around in the dress she was wearing, but she tried her best not to show it.

Despite her attempts to act natural, someone still noticed her discomfort.

"Oi, Jyuu," Shiro spoke up. He was the best-looking among the bunch, Jyuu decided. His muscles were developed but not exaggerated, which suited his slender build. His bleached hair reminded Jyuu of a cat she used to prowl the streets with before.

"What?"

"Here." He had taken off his jacket and was now handing it to her.

Jyuu felt her lips quiver. She had been near tears ever since Kaguro made her wear the dress, but like the brave girl she was, she shoved her misery underneath smiles and better feelings. But as she took the offered jacket, Jyuu's sensitive side surfaced. She couldn't look at the others while her eyes watered. By the time she was composed, she had finished wearing the jacket. She looked up and grinned at Shiro. "Arigatou ne."

"No problem."

"Oryaaaaaaaaa!" Kyo exclaimed. "Shiro is being such a gentleman!" Tears ran down his face (animé-style) as he raised a fist to the sky. He ruffled Shiro's hair, much to the younger man's annoyance.

"You never cared for girls before," Minoru teased him. Tetsu nodded in agreement while Wakamatsu continued drinking silently.

Despite the others' remarks, Shiro's face remained expressionless. It was Jyuu who boxed their faces, including Kyo's, even though he was obviously the leader of the group. Minoru thrust his lower lip out as he touched his swollen cheeks. "What kind of hostess beats up customers?" he sobbed.

Kyo started to laugh but his face hurt, too. "That's some spirit, Jyuu-chan You are very much like our Ojou..."

"True, true!" Tetsu nodded vehemently.

"Ojou?" Jyuu grabbed a bottle of sake the men had brought with them and drank straight from it. She knew she was supposed to act womanly and attentive, but the men were apparently fine with her being herself.

"She's our boss's granddaughter," Tetsu told her.

"A cute woman, she is!" Kyo clapped Tetsu's back and winked at him, causing Tetsu to redden.

Jyuu took another swig from the bottle. Then another. Then another. When that one ran out, she grabbed another bottle. And when that one ran out, too, she grabbed another. The cycle repeated about four of five times. All the while, the men continued talking. They obviously forgot about Jyuu. _I'm getting paid to drink and sit around_, Jyuu smiled to herself. She clutched at Shiro's jacket and frowned. _The dress is hell, though._ "Neee" she blubbered. All that sake had finally caught up with her. Usually, she could hold her drink well, but she hadn't eaten anything since that morning.

The men stared at her. Wakamatsu calmly took the bottle she was holding in her hand. Kyo's eyes were round when he realized that their sake supply had been hijacked by the 'hostess'. Tetsu began laughing. His laugh was so contagious that Kyo and Minoru couldn't help but laught with him.

"What?" Jyuu asked dazedly. She burped and stood up on unsteady legs. "Oof... I gotta go check my phone..." Then she walked off, knees knocking all the way.

When she was out of sight, the men burst out laughing all over again.

---

_My stomach aches... _Jyuu thought with a groan. She entered the dressing room and ignored the stares of the other girls there. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection. Her hair was a mess, as usual. Taking hold of a brush lying there on the table, she carefully fixed her hair. Or tried to fix, anyway. Everything was a blur to her. She slapped her face to clear her head, and she succeeded enough to appreciate the quality of Shiro's jacket. "Maa... those guys are rich."

Placing the brush down, Jyuu looked around for her clothes and took her phone from the pants pocket. Then she sashayed back to the yakuza table. "Ne..."

"Are you all right?" Tetsu asked her as she sat down beside him.

"I'm starving..." she murmured before passing out.

---

Kogaru was making his rounds, taking note of how the new recruits were doing. When he got to Jyuu's table, he was shocked to see the men fanning the unconscious girl. "What happened here? What happened to her?"

"Relax," Kyo assured him. "She's just drunk."

"Are you sure, Wakagashira?" Tetsu asked worriedly. "She looks really pale."

"I'm sorry for this inconvenience," Kogaru apologized. He started to carry Jyuu off the sofa, but Kyo stopped him.

"We'll take care of her," Kyo said firmly. He had developed a soft spot for Jyuu, and he wasn't willing to just dump her off to someone else's responsibility when she needed them.

"I'm sorry, sir," Kogaru tried again. "But I'm in charge of her."

Minoru shook his head at Kogaru. "What Young Chief says, goes. So let us handle this situation."

"We will not harm her," Tetsu promised, to erase the man's doubts about their character.

"I think the girl should eat," Wakamatsu spoke up.

"You're right... she did mention she was starving."

"Starving?" Kogaru tilted his head questioningly.

"She said she was starving, just before she passed out."

"Hey, look! She's coming around!"

Everyone fell silent when Jyuu opened her eyes.

"Jyuu, are you hungry?" Shiro asked.

She sat up and groaned. Her whole body ached. She looked around blinked.

"Are you hungry?" Shiro asked again.

"Yeah. I haven't eaten anything."

Kogaru was appalled. _A girl so thin... not eating... what is she thinking?_ "You're stupid, Kawakaze. Come here, I'll take you to the kitchen. You have to eat something."

Before Jyuu left for the kitchen, she and the others said their goodbyes. She said she wouldn't be working as a hostess anymore, since she wasn't cut out for the job. Waitressing was fine with her, though. "It's been nice being with you," Jyuu mumbled weakly. "I'm glad I got you guys on my first job."

"Don't forget your phone!" Tetsu reminded her. "I save my number there."

"Only your number!?" Kyo glared at him and saved his own number on Jyuu's phone as well. Jyuu laughed at their faces and urged them to hurry up because she wanted to eat already.

---

"Oi, Shiro," Kyo said as they headed for home.

"Nanda?"

"What about your jacket?"

Shiro was silent for a while. Then he answered. "She can have it."

The other men looked at each other, but they said nothing.

---

SUNDAY

It was past noon when Jyuu woke up. She yawned and stood up to look for food. As usual, there was only cup ramen. Her head ached a bit and so did her stomach, but Kogaru had fed her well last night. Even the cook was kind to her. Remembering yesterday's events, Jyuu smiled. _Seems like a dream. But it wasn't so different from the hectic life I've had._ She prepared the ramen and ate in silence.

_I wonder why Noda didn't call again..._

As though to respond to her thoughts, her cellphone rang. She eagerly answered it. "Noda!"

"Heya, Jyuu"

"Why didn't you call?"

"What do you mean??? I called you about ten times since the last time we spoke on the phone!"

"Really?" Jyuu struggled to recall what she had done with her phone last night. She rolled her eyes and decided to forget it. "Anyway, what's up with you guys?"

"What's up with _you_ is the question. Where were you yesterday?"

"Nowhere," Jyuu brushed off the question. "So, did you have fun with karaoke?"

"It would've been more fun with you," Noda said loyally.

"True!" Jyuu laughed. "I'll see you guys tomorrow then."

"Ja ne, Jyuu-chan!"

---

MONDAY

Yankumi stopped just outside the 3-D classroom. "Faito... oh!" She opened the door and smiled a big smile at her students. Then she sighed. The room was empty. "Where in the world are those kids?"

Suddenly the door banged open and in walked Minami, followed by Jyuu, Noda, Kuma, Ucchi and then Shin. "Ohayou, Yamaguchi!" Jyuu shouted cheerfully. "Sorry we're late."

"Yeah, we saw the others on the way here. They'll be here soon."

"You guys have to pay attention to the time, ne," Yankumi complained. She went over to her desk and put down her books. "We'll wait for the others."

The present students sat in their seats and talked as they waited. Minami poked Jyuu. "You still haven't told us where you were Saturday night."

"Who cares about that?" Jyuu poked Minami back. "Forget it, Minami."

"Hey, listen," Ucchi said aloud. "The graduation trip is coming up. Why don't we plan ahead?"

"Why's the trip going to take place way before the final grades are in? Even way before the exams!"

"That's how it is with our class, Jyuu," Noda explained. "There's no guarantee that all of us will pass, but the school decided to make us enjoy before we find out whether we'll be ronin or not." (Ronin is someone who fails to graduate)

"I guess they're afraid we'll cause trouble if we get in a bad mood," Kuma cracked. "It's a good thing! So we can all go on the trip."

"That's true," Ucchi agreed. Then they chatted some more, until the other students arrived.

---

---

Author's Note: Not so much here! But at least I was able to introduce some characters I'll be using in the future. Heheh. Hope you enjoyed this one!


	3. Hostess Again! And Shin Knows?

Title: Stand By You

Author's Note: Thanks for your support! I lubiu all... Sorry for the late update. :) .

Disclaimer: Gokusen characters not mine. Kawakaze Jyuu mine. :) . Shiro mine.

Chapter Three: Hostess Part II & Shin Knows?

It was Tuesday. Not particularly Jyuu's favorite day of the week. As soon as she got up from bed, she tried to decide whether she would go to school or not. "How troublesome," she complained loudly at the empty apartment. She was tired from working so much the night before, and she wanted to stay at home the whole day. Now that she would be able to pay her own way through school, she felt she could take things easy.

Just to rub off sleepiness, Jyuu took a shower and changed her clothes. By now, she was certain she'd stay home until six o'clock, the start of her work hours. _To hell with school on Tuesdays._ Somehow she disliked that day more so than usual. There was something wrong, though she didn't quite know what.

Her brows furrowed when the doorbell rang. She went to the door and opened it. A man she didn't know was standing there. He was wearing a dark suit, of really good material, too, Jyuu noticed. She always noticed things like that.

"Kawakaze Jyuu?" the man asked.

"That's me." _That is I? I am her?_ "Can I help you?"

"I need you to come with me. David-sama wants to see you." When the man saw Jyuu's sudden frightened expression, he smiled kindly at her. "Your mother knows nothing about this. Your stepfather just wants to talk with you for a bit."

"Why?" Jyuu had never seen her mother's new husband before. She always thought of him as a horrid man, like those in storybooks. But looking at the man in front of her, Jyuu wondered if perhaps she had been wrong. This man seemed nice enough. Surely his boss would be a good one, too?

"I'm sure it's for your best interest," the man replied.

"What's your name, sir?"

"Tsumaki Toshiro, David-sama's assistant."

"All right, Tsumaki-san. I'll go with you."

---

"Hmm... Jyuu's not here," Yankumi said to herself. She glanced at the boys and called out to Noda.

"Nani, Yankumi?"

"Where's Jyuu?"

"We don't know, either..."

"She'll show up when she wants to," Minami joined in.

"True," Yankumi agreed. Jyuu was certainly an independent kind.

---

Everything about Taiyou Corporation suggested wealthy owners and successful business operations. The furnishings were all clearly expensive and of high quality. According to Tsumaki, Jyuu's stepfather Russ David was the CEO of Taiyou Corp. She hadn't known that before, and she was amazed that her mother was married to such a man. _My mother's not exactly ugly. But still..._

"Here we are, Jyuu-kun," Tsumaki said, stopping in front of a door at the top floor of the building. He led her into a large office and made her sit on the sofa. The secretary outside had told them that David-sama was in a brief meeting. He would soon be there.

It was about ten minutes later when he arrived. Jyuu just stared at him. Russ David was a tall, lean man with dark hair. He looked to be about forty and wasn't at all like Jyuu imagined him to look like before. She quickly stood up and bowed at him. "Good morning, David-sama."

Russ smiled at her and told her to sit, himself sitting across from her. "I'm glad to see you here, Jyuu."

_Huoooh... he's the total opposite of mum..._ She watched him as he appeared to be thinking. After a closer look, she realized his eyes were grey. _My favorite kind..._

"Jyuu."

"Hai, David-sama?" She glanced at Tsumaki who was leaving the room. _I'm glad he can speak Japanese._

"I can understand why you wouldn't go back to your old school," Russ began. He held up a hand when Jyuu's face darkened. "It's fine with me if you stay in Shirokin Gakuen, as long as you're happy."

"You know this much about me?" Jyuu asked incredulously.

The CEO laughed. "Of course."

"Well, you _are_ the one spending for me till the end of this month."

"Not just because of that. I'm not such an unfeeling man, you know. After all, I'm married to your mother. I do care about you."

"That makes one of you," Jyuu muttered.

"Jyuu, why won't you go with us to America? You can go to a good school there."

"I'm fine right here," Jyuu snapped. Then she reddened. "I'm not being ungrateful. But in case you haven't noticed, my mother and I do not exactly have a good relationship." _Wouldn't want to 'spoil the atmosphere' as she put it._

For a fleeting moment, Russ' face showed sadness. Jyuu caught it, and she wondered about it, but Russ spoke again. "I know that. Anyway, I brought you here to see for myself if you were sure about staying here in Japan. And since now I know that indeed you are, I am satisfied."

"Satisfied?"

"That you'll be fine here."

"Indeed." Jyuu liked the word, so she used it. She grinned at Russ. "Thanks for personally asking me, though."

"But I wouldn't want us to go off without leaving you anything, so I've asked Toshiro to pay Shirokin Gakuen in advance. The transaction is going on right now."

"But there's no need to... I got a job—"

"Then keep your salary for yourself." Russ smiled. "I'll be sending you money monthly. Just enough to cover your rent, since I know you'd rather work for your own money."

Jyuu's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? You don't have to send anything! If mum finds out..."

"Don't worry. She doesn't pry into my business," Russ assured her with a wink. He stood up, with Jyuu following suit.

"I guess I'll go now. Thank you for everything, David-sama."

"I'll let Toshiro drive you home. I'm sure he has already sent the tuition fee."

"Thanks again. By the way, when will you be leaving?"

"This friday."

"Oh, OK. Goodbye, then." Tsumaki appeared at the door to lead her out.

"And Jyuu..."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry you can't get along with your mother. She's not a bad person."

"I'm sorry, too. It was nice meeting you, David-sama." Then she left with Tsumaki.

Russ sat on his chair and looked at the woman who had just walked in.

"Well?" she asked.

"She's as proud as you are. If only you weren't."

The woman said nothing. She sat down. Both she and Russ were silent for a long, long time. Then she said, "I'm glad you got to meet her, Russ."

"As am I. She's a really interesting girl. If you could just—"

"I can't tell her anything," the woman quickly replied. "She's hated me for this long. It's just as well."

"But it seems like such a waste. The two of you could have made it as mother and daughter if you'd been honest with her."

"I'm a bit worried about her new job, Russ."

"Don't be, hon. I've checked the owner. Kaguro Morichi is a good man."

"I'm glad."

---

The rooftop was a bit of a sanctuary, as far as Shin thought of it. As long as he was by himself, everything was fine. He had been a little distracted in class and wasn't able to sleep as well there. Jyuu hadn't shown up for any of the subjects, so far. He couldn't help thinking about where she could be at the moment. Lately Jyuu had been turning down any after-school activities that went past 6pm. The guys were worried about her, so Shin decided that was the reason why he did what he did next.

"Hello?"

"Shin?" Jyuu's voice said on the other end.

"Yeah, it's me."

"What's up? First time you've called me. Not that I've wondered why you haven't done so before."

Shin grinned at her familiar chatter. Maybe calling her wasn't such a bad idea, after all. "Where are you?"

"At home. Too tired to go to school."

Something changed in her tone, but Shin didn't mention anything about it. "Are you by yourself?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I'll go there, then."

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! What's gotten into you, ne?"

"You don't want me to?"

"I don't care, actually," Jyuu joked. "But come over, if you want. Beats boredom, that's all."

Shin knew she would never admit that she'd like him to come over. He yawned. "Never mind."

"Ehh??? How come? Not that I care much."

"I'm tired."

"Lazy ass. Bye, then."

"Bye."

---

Jyuu frowned as she ended the call. _That guy is too frustrating for my taste_, she thought spitefully. She pouted and continued lazing about on the floor. A little company would have been nice, especially after her meeting with David-sama. But she supposed being by herself was fine. She was a ball of confusion. She was happy to be receiving her stepfather's support, which meant that her life wouldn't be as difficult as it had been.

She was also a little sad. There was a possibility that she wouldn't see her mother again. It wasn't that she really liked her, but the thought that she was the only blood relative she knew of... it was a little sad. _Look at the bright side of things... _she thought to herself. _At least David-sama doesn't hate me. Which still surprises me._

She closed her eyes. She'll just have to pass the time till work sleeping...

---

By the time Yankumi was able to walk out of Shirokin Gakuen, she was already late for the group date. Kawashima had planned another drinking session for them and Shinohara-san, but they had all gone ahead of Yankumi. "How could they?" the 3-D homeroom teacher lamented. The head teacher had kept her after office hours, bidding her to check and recheck some papers that weren't really her responsibility. _Oh the unfairness of it all!_

Dragging her feet as well as her bag towards the bus stop, Yankumi looked like lost soul wandering the streets, but she didn't mind. That drinking session was supposed to be her chance to ask Shinohara-san out on a date.

"Oi. You look pathetic."

Yankumi looked up, startled. "Sawada-kun! What are you doing here?"

"Just got out of there," he replied, pointing to a nearby restaurant where the other guys were still eating, as Yankumi saw through the glass.

"Why aren't you staying with them?"

Shin shrugged. The truth was, he had seen their teacher walking in that direction. And he purposely wanted to talk to her. Seeing as how dejected she looked. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all! Hah-hah-hah why would you think anything's the matter?"

"That."

Yankumi looked behind her to where Shin was pointing. She gasped. "Oh my!" Her bag had opened from being dragged all the way from the school building, and her things were scattered in a trail, like bread crumbs. Fortunately, the bag opened not so far back, so the things could be gathered easily. Shin helped her.

"Thanks, Sawada-kun."

"No problem."

"Oh, by the way, Kyo has been looking for you."

Just then, Shin's phone beeped. As though sensing the mention of his name, it was Kyo calling. "Nanda?"

"Oi, Aniki of the Red Lion! Where are you?"

"Near my school."

"Let's meet up outside your school gates, then. We're taking you somewhere!"

"What?" But Kyou had already hung up.

Yankumi looked at him. "Who was that?"

"No one," he mumbled.

---

"Kawakaze!"

"Hai, Kaguro-san?"

"Get changed."

"NANIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!?"

---

At about 7pm, Sayuri's Host Club was once again crowded. Kaguro looked at the customers happily. _Business is doing good._ He went back to the staff area and knocked on the dressing room. "Oi, Kawakaze. Come out here."

"You suck!" Jyuu bawled from inside. She hadn't expected to be posted as a hostess again, but here she was, clad in something that was similar to a towel but not nearly as comforting.

"Come on, now," Kaguro said with a sigh. "I'm sorry to do this, but it's what Kyo and the others want. You like them yourself, so what's the problem?"

"The dress! That's the problem. I don't want to have to wear this! I can talk to them just the same if I don't wear weird stuff, right?"

"Well, you could," Kaguro agreed. "But I can't allow you to do that. The other girls would complain. You're getting same as what they get, remember. At least I'm not forcing you to wear makeup." Kaguro knocked on the door again. "Get out of there. They'll be here very soon. You wouldn't want your eyes to look red in front of the men, would you?"

"Hurmph. You're a sadist, Kaguro-san." Jyuu opened the door. She was wearing an emerald-colored dress that was just as short as the last one she wore. "I suppose this outfit is better than the last one..."

"There you go. Now let's get out of here."

---

Jyuu marched off towards Kyo's table. "Hey, you guys!" She waved and started to sit when she caught sight of Sawada Shin among the group. Her cheeks reddened and her hands got cold. "Hoh..." was all she could utter. Shin's presence was so unexpected that she was rendered speechless.

Shin was just as surprised. Jyuu? A hostess? That could explain her recent actions, but it was hard to believe. "Jyuu."

Kyo looked from Jyuu to Shin. Then Shin to Jyuu. "You two know each other? What a small world!"

_Too true,_ Jyuu thought. Suddenly aware of her attire, Jyuu cowered behind Minoru's seat. _What will he think?_ Her being in a dress in front of Shin made her feel despicable, and she resented it. "How do _you_ know each other?"

"Long story," was Shin's quick reply. Giving Tetsu a meaningful look, he said, "Jyuu and I are classmates in Shirokin."

Tetsu understood Shin's signal. He shook his head a little to show that Jyuu didn't know anything about Yankumi and her role in the yakuza world. If Jyuu went to Shirokin with Shin, that meant that her teacher was also Yankumi. Their Ojou. He sweatdropped. That was close. Last time they had told Jyuu a bit about Ojou. Good thing they didn't mention her name.

Kyo and the others also understood. Jyuu wondered what they were all thinking, looking at each other as if talking with their eyes. "H-Hey, Shiro," Jyuu spoke. "Sorry, I forgot to return your jacket. I'll bring it next time Kyo informs me that you'll be here."

"Don't bother. You can have it."

"Really? Are you sure? It looked really nice and expensive... I wouldn't want to—"

"Just accept it, Jyuu-chan," Minoru whispered to her. She was still standing behind him.

"All right. Thanks, Shiro."

"Why don't you sit down, Jyuu?" Kyo told her. "Why are you hiding behind Minoru?"

"Yeah. You don't have to be shy though Aniki of the Red Lion is here," Minoru said.

"Aniki of the Red Lion?" Jyuu repeated. "Shin?"

"Yep," Tetsu answered. "Besides, you look great."

"I must agree," Shin added, to Jyuu's surprise.

"You don't look too shabby, yourself."

Shin reddened when Jyuu said that. Kyo had bought him a black shirt (the long-sleeved with buttons kind) and red khakis (I mean the type of cloth, not the color, duh heheh) to go with it. It didn't look loud or wild... It looked sophisticated. Cool. Jyuu thought he looked really really good. But she wouldn't admit that.

"Sit here, Jyuu." Shiro nodded towards the space beside him. As Jyuu sat beside him, Shin studied Shiro's face carefully. The man seemed to be the serious type. The kind who could take care of himself, should trouble come along. Shin wondered what kind of relationship he and Jyuu had. He looked away when he realized that Jyuu was looking at him.

"Shin. I didn't take you to be the kind who hung out with the yakuza."

"Didn't take you to be the kind to work as a hostess."

"What do you mean?" Kyo retorted. "What's wrong with being a hostess?"

"He's right, Kyo-san," Jyuu said with a laugh. "I'm sure Shin didn't mean it in a derogatory way. It's just that I'm not exactly the most feminine person there is."

"I can see that," Wakamatsu suddenly spoke. His quick response caused the others to laugh.

"How about we talk after having a drink?" Kyo suggested. They passed around glasses and did so.

---

Several bottles later, the group's talk was becoming livelier. Shiro and Wakamatsu remained silent, though. So did Shin, but his head ached. He never used to drink much, since he was a minor, but ever since he met Kyo and the others... you know how it is.

While he tried to get a hold of himself, Shin observed Jyuu. She was talking to Tetsu about something she particularly liked, her eyes bright and her smile wide. Shin couldn't help thinking that she looked really beautiful in a dress. _This woman looks damned good in anything._ He was going to stare at her some more when he felt someone's eyes on him. At a glance he could see Shiro looking at him, the same way Shin looked at Shiro earlier.

"Ne, Shin, tell Tetsu I'm telling the truth!" Jyuu blubbered cheerfully. "I told him you were in love with our teacher. Look, he's still shocked." Then she laughed loudly.

Shin sweatdropped. "Don't be stupid. Whatever she told you, it's not true," he said to Tetsu. _That idiot,_ he thought, meaning Jyuu. _Of all the things to say in front of these guys._ Jyuu didn't know about Yankumi's relation to the yakuza. And she most certainly didn't know about Tetsu's crush on Yankumi, which was why she thought nothing about the things she said.

"You've had enough to drink, Jyuu." Shiro took the bottle from her hand. She had ditched the glass and drank straight from the bottle, getting her drunk quicker.

"No fair! I still want more."

"Let's take a walk." Shiro took her firmly by the wrist and pulled her up. Then he dragged her outside the club for some fresh air.

When they left, Kyo grinned at Shin. "She's really something, isn't she?"

"How long has she been working here?" the younger man asked.

"Not very long. She's not really a hostess, but the first night she worked, the club was short on girls, so they made her dress up. Luckily she was assigned to us."

_Luckily?_ Shin rolled his eyes. "So, what does she really do here?"

"Cook's helper, Kaguro said. Kaguro's the part owner. Jyuu's also a waitress here."

"Then how come she's a hostess today?"

"Young Chief's orders!" Minoru blurted out.

"What a perv," Shin said in Kyo's face.

"I ain't no perv! Just who has been staring at Jyuu-chan the whole time? Don't think I didn't see you, Red Lion."

"Oh shut up."

"What's up with Shiro?" Tetsu suddenly asked. "You think he's taken a fancy to Jyuu-chan?"

"Looks like it," Kyo agreed. "What do you think, Minoru?"

"I think he likes her, too."

"You see, Red Lion," Kyo began to explain. "We have never seen Shiro take interest in any girl before. That's why we're all a bit amazed at how he is with Jyuu now. Lately, he has gotten a little less cold."

"Which is a good thing."

Shin shrugged. "I don't really care to know about that."

"Listen, Shin," Kyo said seriously. "Have you guys been good to Ojou?"

"I suppose."

"Good. Now let's drink to our Ojou!"

---

It was cold, and her dress wasn't designed for cold nights. Jyuu wished she were back inside with everyone. When Shiro suddenly stopped walking, her face got smushed up on his back. "Don't do that," she grumbled. Her head was starting to throb and her walk was unsteady. She didn't even notice the stares she and Shiro were getting.

"Sorry." His tone was surprisingly gentle. He took off his jacket and handed it to the shivering girl. "Here."

"Again?"

Shiro ignored that and put the jacket on her himself. As he did so, Jyuu looked at his face. Once again she though of how good-looking he was. It was enough to make her feel warm on that cold night. "I feel warm..."

"Thank the jacket."

Jyuu looked down and saw that she was indeed wearing his jacket. _No wonder_. "Thanks."

"How about going to my apartment?" Shiro offered. When she saw Jyuu's suspicious look, he grinned. "I'm not going to do anything, stupid."

"Why would we need to go there?"

"Just wanted to show you something."

"I'd like that, but Kaguro-san—" but Shiro held up a hand.

He took out his cellphone and called Kyo. They talked for a few minutes while Kyuu waited, then Shiro put his phone back in his pocket. "It's all set. Leave it all to Kyo."

"All right." Jyuu decided to trust this man. After all, Sawada Shin hung out with them. They were obviously good guys. And besides, she just saw Shiro smile at her. That would set her up for about a week or so.

"Let's go then."

---

Meanwhile, Shin was on edge when he heard the news. "What do you mean she's going to Shiro's place?"

"Relax, Red Lion."

"Don't be a fool, Kyo," Shin snapped. "Jyuu is my classmate. She's a woman, but she's a crazy woman. What are you doing letting her go off to someone's apartment alone?"

"No, _you're_ being a fool, Sawada Shin. Do you think I'd have let her go if I didn't trust Shiro? He wouldn't do anything to harm her. On top of that, it's none of your business what they do, now is it?"

"That's true," Tetsu agreed quietly.

"Don't be so harsh, Young Chief..." Minoru spoke up gently. Shin had looked so affected that he felt sorry for him.

The young student couldn't say anything. He was furious, but he knew Kyo was right. But still. Something didn't feel right. Everything was horribly wrong. Shin couldn't quite place why he felt as though his insides had caved in. _It's none of my business_, he thought to himself, but he wasn't convinced. Then he sighed. "Who the hell cares about that woman?" he said aloud, to the amusement of the others.

And they drank the night away.

---

---

---

Author's Note: Hope you all enjoyed this. Took me long enough to write, LoL. Noda and the other guys aren't here at all, but there'll be more about them in the next chapter, i hope. Tell me whachiu think, so I can do better. :) .

Shiro has his own apartment, but he stays with Kyo and the others at the Ooedo House sometimes.


	4. All's Well That Ends Well

Title: Stand By You

Disclaimer: Gokusen characters not mine. Kawakaze Jyuu mine. Shiro mine. :) .

Author's Note: The previous chapters have several typos... to be honest, i've been too lazy to replace them with edited ones. Sorry I haven't replied to the reviews. I really don't know if you're all still reading this, but just in case... I'll reply here. Heheh.

**blueprincess16**: thank you for reading my work. :) . hope i won't disappoint you!

**pyscho-pyro-shrink**: thanks for reading the first chapter (hope you'll be able to read this, LoLz) please enjoy :)

**Akanishi-San**++ sorry about the Japanese words and phrases. I wrote the first chapter a long time ago, when I was still so fired up about using Japanese as much as I could hahah. hope it hasn't discouraged you! I was too lazy to edit chapter1, heheh.

**kc**: i hope you're still reading this story! I love you for reading and reviewing chapters 1 and 2. :) . why don't you make an account?

**FS.Rain:**I still haven't decided yet whether Shin will end up with Jyuu or with Yankumi... or whether anybody will end up with anybody for that matter. LoLz . I've already got some ideas, though...

**WingedAngelGuardian**: i cannot stand flirty girls. :) . thank you for the encouragement in chapter1.

**SierralaineWalsh**: you and i have yet to find out which girl will have Shin's heart hahahah

**nana123**: it might just be yankumi and shinohara. ;P .

**silentemotions3**: thanks, you:)

**White Alchemist Taya**: he will _never_ admit that he's jealous. Or maybe he will...

---

Chapter Four: All's Well That Ends Well

---

There was an aura of solitude in Shiro's apartment. Jyuu felt it the moment she walked in. It was as though the entire place was filled with thoughts so deep it could suffocate the ordinary person.

When she was led into the living room area, Jyuu wondered again why she was brought there. What could Shiro want to show her? Just as her curiosity was about to make her ask out loud, Shiro told her to sit on the couch while he went to get something from his room. When he got back, he was carrying a brown box that looked like it might have belonged to a girl.

"What's that?" Jyuu couldn't resist asking.

"It was my sister's." Shiro sat on the coffee table, facing Jyuu. He opened the box and took out a picture, which he handed over to his guest. "Look." He pointed to a girl standing next to a young man in the picture.

Jyuu realized the man was Shiro. His hair wasn't bleached like it was now. It was black, and not quite as long. He was wearing a shirt and a pair of jeans. "You looked very different then..." _You looked kind, and happy, and _normal, she thought. "Is this girl your sister?"

"Yes. Rukko."

Looking at his face, there was no change of expression. But somehow, Jyuu knew that the girl in the picture was dead. Why else would he be showing it to her? She looked closer at the girl's face and was surprised to find that Shiro's sister looked very much like Jyuu herself. "It's uncanny..." her whisper hung in the air. It wasn't in her character to be so silent, but she was so awed by the solemnity of the man in front of her and by the strange likeness between herself and Rukko. "What did she die of?" she finally asked.

"She was sick for a long time. She died while she was in high school." That was all Shiro would say about it.

_No wonder... This must be the reason why he takes care of me at Sayuri's. He's treating me like his little sister. _Jyuu felt kind of bad that she had to be the one to so strongly remind him of her. "I'm sorry you lost her."

Shiro shrugged. He took the picture from Jyuu and put it back inside the box. "I'm sorry I had to drag you here just for this."

"I'm glad you did." _Sincerely. Im glad you did._

The two of them were silent for a moment. Jyuu allowed the room to swallow her. She just didn't want to say anything else. It was as if she had just started to know Shiro more, and it was frightening... the thought that somebody was opening up to her, though not completely. All her life she had kept her relationships external. She didn't care to know about her friends' backgrounds or feelings. She never asked anything personal about them. She lived for herself. She just needed the support once in a while.

But here she was, brought into something that meant a lot to someone else. Horrifying. What bothered her was that despite her fears and selfish nature, she knew she wouldn't be able to resist Shiro. He had just shown her the other side of his character, he had just shared a special part of himself, but he wasn't needy. He was an entity. An enigma. Jyuu was attracted to that. She felt she could be with someone who needed her without clinging too much. And no one else.

---

Shin lifted his head when he heard Jyuu's voice. He watched as she made her way to her seat beside his, chattering all the way.

"I can't go out with you guys tonight, Minami," she was saying. "I have work, remember." She caught Shin's eye. Recalling her encounter with him the night before, Jyuu couldn't help staring at him. Once again, he was Shin the student. Not Shin the friend of the yakuza. What did she expect? Him showing up at school in a suit?

Meanwhile, Shin was also thinking about last night. He wondered what happened after she left with Shiro. He put his head back down and pretended to sleep. A little blank time, that was all he needed to maintain his uncaring attitude. But it was too late. Jyuu had him. Just as Yankumi had him some time ago.

---

"Kuma, have you seen Shin and Jyuu?" Minami asked during lunch time.

The fat boy just shook his head, still eating.

Noda grinned and stood up from the grass. He straightened up and pushed back his hair with his hand. "Shin and Jyuu are on the rooftop."

The other guys looked at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to explain.

"They're just talking," Noda said. "It's best we don't disturb them."

"True, true," Ucchi agreed right away. He and Shin had been close for a long time. He thought it was high time his friend had a female companion. A potential girlfriend, even.

"Do you suppose something's going on that we don't know about?"

"I doubt it, Minami," Noda replied. "Shin's not the type of person who would keep things like that a secret. I mean, if there _was_ something going on between him and Jyuu, we'd know about it as soon as they've gotten it all cleared up."

"I agree," Kuma spoke up. "It would be kind of improper if Shin hides his feelings for Jyuu-chan in front of us. Like he was ashamed of her or something."

Ucchi nodded. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. Or ahead of them, for that matter... It may be nothing, after all."

"You're right, Ucchi."

The boys all jumped when they heard Yankumi's voice. They saw that she was indeed with them, wearing a wistful expression.

---

"Did you see Kaguro-san after I left?"

Shin nodded slightly.

"Did he say anything?"

"I didn't notice."

Jyuu sighed. Sometimes there was no use talking to this guy.

"Jyuu."

"Hm?"

He wasn't looking at her. Both of them were at the railing, Shin facing out, Jyuu leaning against it. She couldn't see his expression, but she could tell there was something he really wanted to say. She had a feeling she knew what about. "Is it about Shiro?" she finally spoke when Shin stayed quiet.

He still didn't say anything.

"Oi, Shin. What do you want to tell me? Did you call me up here just to shut me out?"

"No." Shin glanced at her lazily. "What happened last night?"

"At Shiro's place?"

"Yes."

"Nothing." Jyuu sweatdropped when Shin looked at her pointedly. "Are you nuts?" she exclaimed when she got what he meant. She shook her head and walked off, intensely irritated. What sort of person did he think she was, anyway? She may have worked as a hostess a couple of times, but she still had her own values. She hurried out of the building and went off to find Noda and the others. At least _they_ didn't think badly of her.

---

_Stupid woman,_ Shin thought, smiling to himself. He hadn't followed after Jyuu, knowing she would cool off soon. In a way, he was glad she reacted that way. He was relieved. Somewhere within him he knew Jyuu wouldn't just lay around with guys, but he wasn't sure before. Besides, they were talking about Shiro, so anything was possible. At least now he knew.

"Sawada-kun."

The red-haired boy tensed a bit. That voice was undeniably capable of cracking his apathy, and he hated that it could. "Nanda?"

Yankumi stood beside him and took a deep breath. She grinned. "It's been a long time since we last talked here." She rested her hands on the railings and looked dreamily at the sky.

Neither of them spoke for a long time.

Then Yankumi broke the silence.

"You're a good boy, Shin. You're a good man."

Shin didn't know what brought that on, but it made him smile.

---

"Hey look! Isn't that the crazy girl Morumi told us about?"

It was after school, and Jyuu was in a hurry to get to Sayuri's with plenty of time to get changed into her customary jeans and shirt. When she heard someone mention a name she was familiar with, she nearly tripped on her own feet. She realized with horror that a group of males was standing nearby, looking at her.

_Did they mean me?_ Her heart beat fast. She clenched her clammy hands._This can't be happening to me._

"You there!" one of the guys called out. They walked over to Jyuu and looked her up and down. "Didn't you use to go to Yazawa High?"

"Yeah," Jyuu answered, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I knew it."

"So_you're_ the one who nearly killed Hina," another guy said. "Our friend Tsuyoshi Morumi told us about you. We saw your picture online."

_What the fck!?_ "I have to go." Jyuu tried to push past them, but they blocked her path and surrounded her.

"Where are you going?" the most outspoken of the guys asked with a smirk.

"Move."

"Stop trying to act cool. Why don't you go out with us for a little fun?"

Jyuu glared at him and attempted to get away once more. When someone grabbed her waist, her eyes flashed angrily. Her mind was on the brink of snapping. "Let go of me, asshole," she growled.

Instead of paying attention to her words, the boys got worse. They laughed in her face, pinching and touching her. Jyuu drew the line when somebody carelessly put his hand on her chest. Mustering up all the strength she could in such small space, she punched the first face in her line of sight. The owner yelped both in surprise and pain. Before he could recover, Jyuu's fist hit the side of his head, causing him to stagger backwards.

Several hands gripped her wrists tightly, preventing Jyuu from attacking any of them anymore. Unable to accept such helplessness, Jyuu used her legs instead. She kicked with all her might, making contact with shins and knees and whatever parts there were. She wasn't thinking straight.

Finally, one of the boys got fed up and hit her face hard. The pain stunned her, leaving her immobile for some time. When she regained her senses, the boys were still holding on to her. She glared at those she laid eyes on. "Pathetic. Ganging up on a girl."

Someone hit her face again. "Shut up, bitch."

"Jerk."

Another punch.

It went on like that for nearly thirty minutes. Several times, Jyuu lost consciousness, but she always came to. And when she did, she never stopped mocking them. Every word she said was met with a fist. Just to spite them, Jyuu spit a mouthful of blood in their faces.

_At this rate, I'm gonna run out of blood._ She struggled to see over the heads of her opponents. Was there no one else there aside from them? They were not very far from Shirokin, but the area was deserted. _How unlucky..._

"So, is Psycho-Girl finally tame now? What? Have you got nothing more to say?"

_I'm not the psycho. I was never the psycho._

"She must have lost all her teeth," another cracked.

"Eat my shorts," Jyuu shot back.

The others laughed, but the one she said those words to got so angry that he knocked his fist on top of her head.

The sound of his bone against her skull was the last Jyuu heard. As the boys scampered off, she sank to her knees and fell face-down on the ground.

_Who knew this would happen today? _

Tears spilled from her bruised eyes, mixing with the mess of blood on her nose.

_I guess there's just no running away from the past._

She closed her eyes as her mind began to black out.

_I should've just let her kill me._

_---_

Time seemed to stand still as Yankumi walked home. She was still basking in the serenity she received from her time with Shin. There was just something about that boy that made her feel calm. As though problems didn't exist. _I'll have to cook him dinner sometime soon, to reward him for being so cool._

"NANDA KORE!?" she suddenly yelled. She ran over to the body lying on the ground. "Jyuu! JYUU!" The sight of her bloody face made Yankumi's lips tighten. Who did this to her? She quickly called for help.

Soon after, Jyuu was taken to the hospital. Yankumi couldn't help pacing back and forth in the hallway.

"Oi Yankumi!"

Noda, followed by Shin and the others, went up to their teacher. "How is she?" Noda asked, white-faced.

"Where is she?" For the first time in many years, Kuma wasn't thinking of food. Not even a single bit.

"She's still in there. They've been cleaning her up... and checking for broken bones and all that."

"Is she in real danger?" Minami asked directly.

"I don't know..." Yankumi answered worriedly. "I really don't know."

Through all this, Shin remained silent. He was extremely worried, but it was no good showing the others that. They would just get more anxious.

---

"Where the hell is that girl?" Kaguro grumbled. It was past six o'clock, and the customers were increasing by the minute. The cook was in a bad mood, apparently needing more help than he was having at the moment.

"That girl is going to have it when she gets here," the cook muttered. "If you're not going to fire her, Kaguro, I will."

"Now, now, don't be so harsh. She may have a good reason. But if she doesn't, I'll consider firing her. That might not be a good idea, though... Kyo likes her so." The conversation was cut off when his phone rang. "Hello?"

Kyo coughed from the other end. Somehow he always managed to call whenever his name was mentioned. "Kaguro, Jyuu-chan was attacked this afternoon. She's in the hospital right now." Yankumi had called Kyo and told him to inform Jyuu's boss about what had happened. Kyo, Tetsu and Minoru had wanted to go to the hospital but Yankumi refused to let them. She didn't want to blow her cover with Jyuu yet.

"What do you mean attacked? By who? How is she now? Is it serious?" _That girl gets in more trouble than anyone I know._ "What the heck happened now?" First, she starved herself. Now, this. Kaguro couldn't help but worry about Jyuu's future.

"I don't know everything yet, but we'll look around for information. I'll even handle this personally. She was beat up badly, and she's lost a lot of blood... Jyuu-chan got a concussion, but I'm told she's just sleeping now."

"What kind of bastard would do that to a girl?" Kaguro kicked at a stool angrily, startling the kitchen staff, including the cook. "Was she... raped?" His employees looked at him with wide eyes when they heard those words. They all wondered who he was talking to on the phone.

"She wasn't, thank God." After a few more questioning and answering, Kyo said goodbye. He promised to call Kaguro if he found out more.

As soon as Kaguro placed his phone back into his shirt pocket, the cook approached him. "Who was that?" he demanded.

"That was Kyo." Kaguro picked up the stool he had kicked and sat on it. "Jyuu's in the hospital." He told them everything he knew and then ordered them to continue working. "We'll have to make do without Jyuu for now."

---

When Kyo told Shiro the news, the younger man didn't say anything. Nobody could tell anything from his face either. Annoyed from his lack of response, Tetsu chided him, "I thought you cared for her, Shiro."

"Bro..." Minoru started to say, but was stopped by a glare from Tetsu.

"That's how it is with you, is it? You take everyone for granted. Why do you always hide what you feel? Are you even human, Shiro?"

"Tetsu, enough." Kyo looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Don't say things you don't really know."

The leader's words caused Tetsu to huff angrily. He himself was worried about Jyuu, so why was Shiro acting so cool about it?

"Why..." Shiro suddenly drawled. His voice was barely audible, but they heard it. "...are you so worried? Is she dying?"

_He has a point,_ Kyo thought. _But still... he really is too damned insensitive._

"I guess someone has to be dying... for you to care." With that, Tetsu left the room.

For a moment, Kyo saw pain in Shiro's face, but it disappeared.

_You're human after all, Shiro._

---

"Kyaaaaaa! Give that back, Kuma!"

Friday came, and Jyuu was back in her apartment. The boys were there to visit, more like to raid her kitchen, Jyuu thought. "Kumaaa! Those are from my stepfather! Don't eat them all! I haven't even had one piece yet."

"Wow, these chocolates are good," the fat boy commented. "It must be great to have a rich dad."

"Not really my real dad."

"Yeah, but he's a good person," Minami joined in. "So you're still lucky."

"I suppose, I suppose."

"Jyuu..."

"Hm, Noda?"

"Can you tell us what really happened?"

For her own reasons, Jyuu hadn't told them the truth. She felt that once she started, she'd have to dig through a deep pit of unwanted memories. And she didn't want to do that. "I told you already... they were just a bunch of rough kids... I don't even know from what school."

"What color was their uniform?"

"Grey."

"Hmm... We'll have to check that out," Ucchi said. He grabbed a bag of chips and opened it. "You've got so much food here, Jyuu-chan..."

"Believe me, that's only now." Jyuu opened her own bag of chips. "Anyway, forget about those guys. I don't hold anything against them."

"After what they did to you?" Kuma shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Just forget about it, OK?" the girl snapped.

The boys all looked at her. "If you say so," Noda finally said. "I'm just glad you're OK."

After the attack, Jyuu spent about a day and a half at the hospital. Sadly, her memory about the whole incident remained. Even the concussion hadn't allowed her to forget. Save for some bruises and wounds on her face, she was fine. "But I'm so ugly now," Jyuu complained.

"Since when weren't you ugly?" Shin muttered under his breath. He got a piece of chocolate from the box in Kuma's hand and ate.

Jyuu heard and made a face at him. "Sooo, Shin. How are things between you and Yamaguchi?" She thought he'd get annoyed at her and shut up, but to her surprise, he answered.

"She's a strange woman."

"???" Jyuu's eyes were as large as tennis balls.

Shin was thinking about the time he and Yankumi were at the rooftop. When she said he was a good man. He never did understand that. "I wonder... what's wrong with her."

"W-What do you mean, Shin-chan?" Kuma stared at him.

"Oryaaaaaa! Is this the same Sawada Shin who usually doesn't care about anything???" Noda hooted and tossed a potato chip at their red-headed friend.

Minami laughed. "It's about time you expressed something, my man! So so so, what do you mean about Yankumi?"

_Is it this big a deal if he talks?_ Jyuu got quiet as the others got louder. It was as if the boys were in their own world, talking about things that had been part of their lives for a longer time than in hers.

"Yankumi has been acting different lately."

"Really?" Ucchi said aloud. "I haven't noticed."

"Of course, only Shin would notice something like that," Minami teased.

"Jyuu was right then, he _does_ stare at Yankumi!"

Jyuu tried to smile, she really did. But suddenly her mood turned heavy. Perhaps it was because her head still ached a little. Or maybe, just maybe, she felt out of sorts because the boys weren't paying much attention to her. "Hey listen, you guys."

"Hm?"

"I gotta go see my stepfather for a while. They're leaving for America later." She stood up from the floor and headed for the door. "Just stay here, I'll be back in a while."

---

Armed with a slowly numbing heart, Jyuu marched out of her apartment and headed for the bus stop. _Should I go see Russ or not?_ Her stepfather was approachable, she knew that. But maybe he was busy. They _were_ moving that day after all. "I guess I'll just call him later," she said to herself.

The next few hours found her by the swings at the park. She stretched her arms and yawned peacefully. This was a good kind of solitude. She wasn't thinking about anything. Not about Russ. Not about Shin and the others. Not even about herself. Everything was void. A dull hole of nothingness.

And she liked it.

---

---

Ho hum. I dunno. I've been emotionally dysfunctional for a long time, so forgive me if there has been lack of zest or flavor in my writing. LoLz . I'm not sure if there have been hints of depression in my story, but ah well, you'll forgive me, I'm sure.

Jyuu is just a complicated character, that's all. :) . Not to mention this has been kinda slow. Gomen, gomen :) .

P.S.  
Ignore the typos. Didn't bother to proofread this one. It _is_ very hot here, you know. It's up to you to make the connection LoLz .


	5. A Little Love Here And There

Title: Stand By You

Disclaimer: Gokusen characters not mine. Jyuu mine. Shiro mine. So are some of the other characters.

Author's Note: Ugh. This chapter is long. Sorry! It might make your necks hurt. Or it might bore your eyes out. But don't say I didn't warn you. LoLz .

---

Reply Section:

**lalala:** foo!

**kc:** HUGS:)

**blueprincess16:** thank you for your support, verimuch! Oooh, you'll find out later on. Shin's just as confused as you. LoLz .

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**sasukesakura123:** thanks for reading! I hope I can meet up to your expectations. :) .

**White Alchemist Taya:** yes, her past. But that's OK. It will be out in the open some time, for sure. I'm not sure if you got my reply so I'll include it here as well. Hina's a girl. Heheh.

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For those who added this story as their favorite, and for those who took the time to read, I thank you :)

---

Chapter Five: A Little Love Here and There

---

Shin walked steadily on despite the rain.

He had walked out of Jyuu's apartment, slightly bothered by the endless teasing of his friends. The only reason he talked was because he thought the other guys also noticed Yankumi's unusual behavior. During the past days she had become quieter, less rambunctious, and more thoughtful. She was still a bit clumsy, but other than that, she seemed more mature. Shin wasn't sure if he could cope with that.

After a while, he found himself standing in a deserted park. The rain had done its job, causing the children and their parents to run for cover somewhere else.

The swings were empty, so Shin sat on one of them, not caring about the water. He was already wet, anyway.

Nearby, there was a bunch of roll-around tubes stuck together, defeating its purpose as a "roll-around" tube. Each tube was four feet in diameter. Normally, those tubes would be placed separately, so if a kid wanted to crawl into one and roll as much as he wanted, he could do so. But these ones were all attached to each other, preventing it from moving. Perhaps it was because there was too little space in that park to roll around in.

As he looked on, he saw that there was something, or _someone_, in one of the lower tubes. A closer look confirmed that there was indeed a person curled up inside.

Shin recognized the girl's clothes and crouched down at one opening. "Oi. Jyuu."

Jyuu, who had been partially asleep, sat up, her hair a mess, and stared at Shin in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I went for a walk. The others are still in your apartment." He crawled in beside her. "I thought you went to see your stepfather."

"Well, I was going to, but he might be busy. I came here instead."

"You've been here for hours?"

"About a couple."

"Why didn't you go back?"

"To my apartment, you mean?" Jyuu shrugged. "I don't know. I just wanted to be alone for a while, I guess." She turned to him. "Not that I want you to leave here," she added quickly.

"I understand."

"Why are _you_ really here? How come you got yourself so wet?"

"Same as you."

Jyuu reddened. "You want me to go?"

"You were here first, why would you say that?" Shin looked at her face in the mild darkness of the tube. Her bruises still looked awful, and Shin couldn't help but grit his teeth at the cruelty of her attackers.

Unaware of being observed, Jyuu rested her chin on her knees and played with her toes. She had taken off her shoes, and her feet were starting to get cold. "You know," she mumbled. "I keep thinking about my stepfather, and how he could stand living with my mom."

Shin remained silent.

"Then I get confused, if he's really as good as he seems, or if my mom's really as bad as she makes herself out to be. I mean, oh I don't know. My brain's all mixed up with this one."

"It could be either," Shin agreed. "Which would you rather want?"

"I'd rather... Well, I know it sounds the worse of the two, but I'd rather my mom is really as I know her. No matter how unkind."

"Why?" Shin asked, although he already knew the answer.

"It would be much simpler. If mum isn't really what she shows me, I wouldn't be able to handle it. Things would get more complicated. I'd have to know the reasons behind it, and all that. It's frightening. And strange." She took a deep breath. "As for _him_, I could just take his actions as for show."

"Have you ever thought... that maybe..." Shin struggled to say the next words. "Well, perhaps they're together because..."

"Because of love?"

"Yeah."

"That would be another point for the 'opposites attract' theory."

Shrugging, Shin combed his fingers through his wet hair. When Jyuu reached over to touch his hair, he tensed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm helping you."

Shin put down his hand and allowed Jyuu to do as she liked.

"Ne, Shin."

"Hm?"

Jyuu stuck out her tongue and roughly tugged at a tangled part of his hair, making him yelp in pain. "That, is for invading my privacy."

She gently kissed his cheek.

"And _that_, is for being here just in time."

---

Shin didn't know what she meant when she said he was just in time. He would have asked, but he was too busy trying to regain his composure. After she kissed him, Jyuu had hurriedly put on her shoes and got out of the tube, saying that they'd been away from the apartment long enough.

Now they were back. The boys teased them when they saw that they were both together and wet. Shin rolled his eyes. _First, Yankumi. Now, Jyuu._

"Hey, hey! Where'd all the food go?" Jyuu yelled from the kitchen. That was the first thing she checked as soon as she arrived. Half of what David-sama supplied for her was gone, and he had supplied _plenty_.

"Kuma ate it all," Minami shouted back, laughing.

"That's not true, Jyuu-chan! See, Ucchi's still stuffing his face right now!"

"Gomen, gomen!"

"Maa... you guys are noisy!" Jyuu exclaimed, still yelling.

_You're _all _noisy._ Shin thought maybe he made a mistake coming back. He should have gone to his own apartment, it was quiet there.

Jyuu made a face at him. "We should have gone to your apartment," she muttered. But she looked like she was having fun amidst all the commotion, and Shin knew she didn't regret coming back at all.

Noda heard what Jyuu said and stared at her with wide eyes. "Jyuu-_chan_, what do you mean _his_ apartment?" He looked from Jyuu to Shin, then back again. "Is there something going on between you two?"

Minami, Kuma and Ucchi crowded over to them eagerly.

"What is all this business about pairing us up?" Jyuu bellowed.

Noda winced and covered his ears. "Forgive me!"

"Come on, Shin, make up your mind... Is it gonna be me or Yankumi?" Jyuu suddenly asked. She looked so serious.

"Are you serious?" Shin raised an eyebrow.

"Oh my god..." Minami mumbled.

"Is this a romantic situation?" Kuma asked confusedly. "I mean, are we talking about Shin-chan?"

Jyuu cracked up. She sank to the floor and continued laughing. The whole business was just so funny she couldn't control herself. "You guys are so stupid." She sat on the couch. "Listen, I'll tell you everything straight." She looked at Minami, Ucchi, Kuma and Noda. "I want no more teasing from you about me and Shin. Got it?"

The boys nodded like obedient puppies.

"There's absolutely nothing going on between us," Jyuu continued. "But Yankumi... you can tease him about Yankumi as much as you like." With that, she jumped up and hugged Shin, laughing. "I'm sorry, ne. But you and Yankumi would be crazy fun together."

"That's true, I guess," Noda said. He looked at Shin's face and studied his expression, but it was empty.

"I'll go get changed." Jyuu entered her room. "You get changed, too, Shin. Here are the clothes I borrowed from you," she called from the door, tossing out the shirt and jeans she had worn on her first job at Sayuri's.

Later on, when order was obtained, Shin looked at the sprawled bodies of his sleeping friends.

His eyes rested on Jyuu.

_Absolutely nothing._

---

Jyuu quickly scrambled to her feet. She glanced at the wall clock and saw that it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon. Through the window, she saw that the rain had stopped. The sun had almost completely dried the streets, except for a few puddles here and there. What time were her her mum and stepfather leaving? She tiptoed over the boys and stepped out the door.

She dialed David-sama's number on her cellphone and waited nervously. Maybe they'd already left.

"Hello?"

"Uhm, hi, David-sama, it's—"

"Jyuu! Hi, we're at the airport right now. We'll be boarding the plane at four-thirty."

"Oh..."

"Do you want to come see us off?"

"No," she answered after a few seconds. "Have a safe trip."

"OK. Will you be all right?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to talk to your mother?"

"No!" She bit her lip. She hadn't meant to sound so vehement.

"OK, then. Take care of yourself, Jyuu. I'll call once in a while. Tsumaki Toshiro will help you if you need anything."

"Thanks. Take care, too... bye." Jyuu ended the call and leaned against the wall. She stared at her phone.

After a few minutes, she called Kyo.

---

"That was Jyuu-chan," Kyo announced. "OK, listen, she needs a ride to the airport. Who can get her there before four-thirty? She's waiting outside her apartment." He told them the address. "I'd take her myself but Boss needs me here."

"What's she going there for?" Minoru asked.

"It doesn't matter, fool!" Tetsu slapped his head. He scanned the people around them. "Who can take her?"

The men turned to the sound of a motorcycle being revved up. Kyo grinned when he saw who it was. "Never mind. It's all taken care of."

Shiro, who had been with them seconds ago, was already leaving to get Jyuu, nothing said, no questions asked.

That was how he did things.

---

_Wow_. Jyuu stared in amazement at the gleaming Ducati in front of her.

"Get on," Shiro told her.

Jyuu did so happily. She took the helmet he handed to her and put it on. "I can't believe I'm gonna be riding this."

Shiro grinned and revved up the engine once more. "Four-thirty?"

Jyuu nodded. She nearly fell out of her seat when the motorcycle sped off.

---

"Hey, where's Jyuu?" Ucchi asked sleepily. He shook the others awake. "Jyuu's gone."

"Maybe she went to buy something," Noda mumbled and went back to sleep.

"She'll be back," Minami said, eyes still closed.

Kuma just grunted.

Just then, they heard a noise outside. Ucchi hurried to the window and looked out just in time to see Jyuu get on a motorcycle behind a guy. "Hey, Shin, Shin! Look! Jyuu's leaving with a biker!"

Shin was beside him in a flash.

He wasn't sure, but the man looked a lot like Shiro from the yakuza.

"Where are they going? Who is that man?" Ucchi asked, to which Shin didn't answer.

All of them were gathered around the window now. But Noda, Kuma and Minami were too late to see. By the time they were alert, Jyuu and Shiro were gone.

---

"Arigatou, ne, Shiro!" Jyuu yelled even though she knew Shiro wouldn't be able to hear. They were going _so_ fast, and the wind swallowed any sound she made. Though she and Shiro were good friends, Jyuu was reluctant to hold him tight. She just wasn't much for touching, unless she initiated it, not out of necessity. But she held on, anyway.

Subconsciously, she had known that Shiro would come when she told Kyo about her request. Maybe she was assuming too much, but hey, he really did come, didn't he? That made Jyuu feel good. Like she could trust Shiro to help her anytime.

_Of course_, a voice inside her head said. _He looks at you as his little sister. He can't help but try to meet your needs._ It was true, Jyuu decided. Nevertheless, she still felt good. Who cared if he treated her like a little sister? "Let me be Rukko, if that's what you want!" she hollered just as they slowed down a bit. She hoped Shiro hadn't heard.

As soon as Shiro stopped in front of the airport entrance, Jyuu jumped off and rushed in. It was only a couple of minutes before four-thirty. She could only hope that the plane was delayed. She didn't know exactly where her parents were going, so she just ran off to the takeoff area, where a guard stopped her.

"Oh wait! I haven't said goodbye to my parents!" Jyuu's throat hurt as she tried to keep from crying. She spotted several passengers boarding a plane nearby. "Let me just go near enough that one! If they aren't there, I'll leave, I promise."

The guard looked like he felt sorry for her, but also a little suspicious, what with her wounds and bruises. Nevertheless, he allowed her to stand about twenty-five feet from the plane she meant. Jyuu looked at each passenger about to board.

And there they were.

Her heart thumped. _There!_ David-sama got on first, followed by her mother. Jyuu resisted the urge to call out. _Why am I here? I hate her, don't I? She hates me, so I'm not really supposed to be here._ But Jyuu stood fixed to the spot. The guard looked at her curiously.

"Are they there?"

Jyuu couldn't answer because at that moment, her mother turned and saw her.

Mother and daughter looked at each other. The older woman seemed a bit surprised to see her there, but other than that, Jyuu couldn't detect any hint of displeasure on her mother's face. Shaking, Jyuu lifted a hand into a stiff wave.

To her shock, her mother also raised her hand in goodbye. It was a very brief wave, her hand just at the level of her breast, but Jyuu saw it. Jyuu stood there frozen until she could no longer see them.

"Miss?"

"Hm?" Jyuu realized she was still holding up her hand. She put it down and grinned at the guard. "Thank you. Thank you very much."

A little lightheaded, she walked back to where Shiro had dropped her off and saw that he was still waiting there, leaning against the Ducati. She felt giddy, cold, and nervous. But still, she was happy. So happy! She wasn't sure how she liked it, but somehow, she knew she and her mother were reconciled. _Funny..._ she thought. _It had to happen during goodbye. In a moment that almost didn't happen._

Shiro didn't have to ask how things went inside, he could tell by her face that everything turned out well. She smiled, and that made him feel happy, too. He hadn't seen her smile so naturally before this. The only times she smiled around him was when she was drunk, and that didn't count.

The corners of his mouth twitched.

"What?" Jyuu asked. She put her face directly in front of Shiro's. She planned on doing that until he gave her an answer as to why he looked like he was about to smile. Or laugh. It usually worked.

But Shiro wasn't the least bit bothered. Instead, he stared right back at her, until she was the one who looked away. He poked one bruised cheek. "Ugly."

To Jyuu's dismay, her lips quivered. She straightened up, but not before her tears fell down in torrents. She tried to say something but it turned into a sob.

"Jyuu..." Shiro was bewildered. He stood up properly.

"I'm sorry," Jyuu blubbered. She roughly brushed her tears away with her fists. She knew she looked like a little kid, but so what?

"No, _I'm_ sorry. I'm sorry, Jyuu. You're not ugly."

"It's not that, Shiro." The girl gave a shuddering breath and smiled. "It's just that, I was overwhelmed, you know. I wasn't mad about your comment, promise. Well, perhaps a little hurt, but that was nothing."

"But it was enough to make you cry like this."

"No, it just happened to be a little kick that brought the whole mountain down. And I'm glad it did, I really am." She truly was. Lately her emotions had been building up inside her, what with her parents, the recent attack, the reminder of the past... Now, she was finally relieved. Her sudden outburst had flushed out everything.

"Let's go back, then." Shiro patted Jyuu's head and got on the motorcycle. Jyuu climbed on after him.

"Thanks for taking me."

"No problem." He put on his helmet and gunned the engine. "And Jyuu?"

"Yes?"

"You don't need to be Rukko for me. Just be Jyuu." He turned his head to glance at her. "I love you for that."

Jyuu shivered at the intensity of his words. She could hardly put on her own helmet. Nobody had ever talked that way to her before. She couldn't speak, but if she could, she wouldn't have been heard, anyway. They were already off. There was no way her voice could compete with the sound of the engine and the wind.

As a reply, she hugged him tightly at the waist. Without hesitation.

This time, it wasn't out of necessity.

---

The plane was already airborne. Russ David glanced at her wife and saw that she was staring out the window. "It felt good, didn't it?"

"It did," she agreed. "It still does."

Russ David smiled. _I've never seen you look so peaceful_. "I'm really glad she showed up. I wasn't so sure earlier."

"But she did, looking better, I might add... and that's what matters."

Husband and wife looked at each other, smiling.

---

It was dark by the time Jyuu got home. The lights were on so she knew her friends were still there. "HEY YOU GUYS!" she yelled as she walked in. "I brought FOOD!"

Kuma rushed towards her, reminding Jyuu of a dog she met once.

"YAY, food!" Noda skipped to where she was standing and helped her with the plastic bags.

"Say, Jyuu," Ucchi spoke up when they were settled around the coffee table. "Who was that guy? Where'd you go?"

"You saw that? I thought you were asleep. Anyway, he was a friend of mine."

"Where did you meet a biker?" Minami asked, his mouth full of noodles.

"Hey, where's Shin?" Jyuu looked around and realized that he wasn't there. "Is he in the bathroom?"

"Oh, he went home. "

"Why?"

"I'm not sure... he doesn't talk much about himself..." Noda stared at Jyuu's face.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied, and continued eating.

---

Back in his familiar apartment, Shin relaxed. He lay down on the couch and rested one arm across his forehead. Although he and his friends had spent the day lazing around, he was tired. So tired he could sleep again and perhaps never wake up.

The doorbell rang.

Sighing, Shin sat up. He rubbed his face and walked to the door. When he opened it, a face with a huge smile met him.

"Hellooo, Sawada-kun!" Yankumi pushed past him and headed for the kitchen. She placed her plastic bags on the counter.

Shin followed behind her. "Oi."

"Have you eaten?"

"No. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, good you haven't. I'm cooking you dinner."

Throughout the whole process, Yankumi ignored Shin. She was so busy 'cooking' that Shin decided to leave her alone. He waited in the living room, wondering where his peaceful solitude had gone. But as he listened to the clatter of kitchen utensils from nearby, he grinned.

Maybe he liked this kind of distraction.

"Everything's ready!"

Yep. It was a good kind of distraction.

---

_Alone. Finally._

The boys were gone. After they cleaned up the apartment, they left for their own homes. Jyuu went inside her bedroom and laid herself out on the bed. She had had too much excitement for one day.

_Next week... Next week I'll start working again._

---

"Why didn't you guys go to school today?"

"We visited Kawakaze."

They were eating Yankumi's special Beef Teriyaki. It was OK by Shin's standards.

"Oh... That's why. I went to see her at the hospital yesterday, she seemed fine. How was she today?"

"Fine." Shin didn't understand most of what was happening to Jyuu lately so he didn't say anything about it. He'll leave Jyuu to share her own experiences to Yankumi if she wanted to.

"Ne, Sawada-kun."

Shin looked at Yankumi. She still had that big grin on her face. "Nanda?"

"How are you and the guys? I haven't had the chance to talk with you lately."

He shrugged. "We're OK."

"Are you interested in anyone?"

"..." The red-haired boy couldn't answer right away. Was he? Well, maybe. But with who, exactly?

"You look so serious, ne! First time you've actually considered that question!" Yankumi took a bite of her food.

Shin looked at her. He wanted to wipe that silly grin off her face. Then he shrugged and continued eating. "Perhaps I'm interested in someone."

"NAAAAAAANNNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!?" Yankumi's glasses nearly fell off her nose. "WHO!?"

_Noisy._ He didn't answer. _Who... That's what I'd like to know._ He wouldn't look at Yankumi. _Stupid move. She won't stop bugging me now._

But so what?

---

---

Author's Note: Hope you're not tired of this yet. It's long, I know, heheh. But I felt I needed to finish the day. Lemme know what you think so I can improve. :) .


	6. Okinawan Jealousy

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Title: Stand by You

Author's Note: Gack! Do forgive me for taking so long to update... For the most part, I've been uninspired. I don't feel any sparks, even right now. On top of that, I got myself an article-writing job which uses up most of my time, aside from school. But still! I don't want this story to die!!!

Chapter Six: Okinawan Jealousy

For the 3-D class, the best part about their graduation trip was that the head teacher didn't come along. Now, as they looked at the vast beach nearest their hotel, they couldn't help thinking just how lucky they were that the head teacher was asked to stay home by his wife. None of the other teachers wanted to come along, too, so Yankumi was the only chaperone they had for the trip.

"This is the life," Minami spoke up, summing it up for all of them. "Ne, Yankumi, will you be wearing a two-piece swimsuit?"

Yankumi clasped her hands and pretended to be shy. "Maa... you guys really want to see me in ultra-sekushi swimwear, don't you?"

The 3-D boys gagged while Jyuu laughed hysterically. "Yamaguchi!" she gasped. "You're hilarious."

"Eh? What about you, Jyuu?" Yankumi asked. "Two-piece?"

All eyes turned to catch Jyuu's mortified expression. She looked as though she couldn't even _imagine_ herself in a two-piece swimsuit. Everyone, except Shin, thought that Jyuu in a skimpy suit was a very, _very_ wrong picture. That was because they hadn't seen her in the dresses Kaguro made her wear. "Jyuu... in a swimsuit..." Kuma's weirded out expression was priceless.

"OK, everyone!" Yankumi clapped her hands. "Let's go and get changed for some beach fun!"

Everyone was only too happy to oblige. Those who weren't already in their swimwear went back to their rooms and returned to the beach in a flash. As Jyuu walked with Yankumi towards the room they shared with each other, Yankumi said, "I'm glad your bruises have faded. Any unusual feeling since after the attack?"

Jyuu shook her head. "None at all. My hard years have made my body as tough as a bull's. I'm not too easy to put down."

"Jyuu... I've been meaning to ask."

"Hm?"

"That issue in your previous school... what really happened? I know the evidence pointed against you, but now that I've gotten to know you more, I'm sure you're not capable of doing terrible things to another person." The teacher watched her student's blank expression. She couldn't tell what Jyuu was thinking.

"Ne, Yankumi. I don't want to go into the details, because I'd rather forget everything. I'm just going to say, that I only did what I did out of self-defense."

The topic was closed between them after that, and Yankumi was assured once more of her decision to trust the younger girl. "Oh yeah, I just remembered something. Do the boys know how old you are?"

Jyuu grinned. "They don't. And don't you ever tell them about anything in my files. They already know I'm older, they just don't know how much."

As soon as they reached their room, Jyuu changed into an old shirt and a pair of beach shorts David-sama had gotten for her. When she saw Yankumi in her swimming attire, Jyuu's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? You're really going to wear a two-piece swimsuit?"

"Does it look ugly on me?"

"No. You look great, actually. But do you think it's a good idea? They're _boys_, you know."

"I trust my boys. I just want to show them that I'm not to be trifled with. I'll sway them with my womanly charms, then they'll pay closer attention in class!"

"Fine, fine. Just stop doing those weird poses. You look like a man in a swimsuit when you're like that." Jyuu shook her head at the oddity of it all. "But you look really good, Yamaguchi."

"Thanks, Jyuu!"

They headed back for the beach, where all they guys were hanging out. Some were already in the water, while others lazed around on the sand, allowing the sun to massage their skin. Noda was the first one who noticed the girls, and when he saw Yankumi, he whooped and bade the others to watch. The boys, even those in the water, all gathered around Yankumi. Shin was the only one who remained asleep under the sun. But when the noise woke him up, he saw Yankumi in her red two-piece swimsuit, and the sight made him stare at her longer than he would have any other day.

"She just made you fall harder, huh?"

Shin didn't even realize Jyuu was already beside him until she spoke. He didn't say anything and went back to his sleeping position. He sat up in shock when sand rained down on his face. Good thing he had covered his eyes with his arm, but the same can't be said for his mouth. Spitting out the grains, he frowned at Jyuu. "What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with _you_? I was talking to you. You can't just ignore people who talk to you, Shin."

"Sawada-kun, what's the matter, ne?" Yankumi had walked over to them, a concerned look on her face.

Jyuu looked up at Yankumi from where she was squatting, then she looked at Shin. She stood up and stalked off back to the hotel.

"Eh?" Yankumi uttered before she was dragged off by Kuma to the ice cream shop.

"Where are you going, Jyuu-chan?" Noda called after Jyuu's retreating back.

"Bathroom," she answered without turning.

Noda started to follow after her, but Ucchi held him back. "I'll go," he said quietly. It was obvious to Jyuu's closest friends that she wasn't in a good mood. Ucchi ran towards the hotel, while Minami shook his head slightly at Shin.

"Good going, man."

When the red-haired boy didn't answer, Minami went on, "It's fine if you ignore us guys. But Jyuu's a girl. No matter how manly she may seem sometimes, she's still of the durned female species. I hope you'll understand that before she gets tired of you completely." Figuring he'd said enough, Minami shouted for a game in the water. As he ran off, he gave his seemingly unfeeling friend one last glance before crashing back into the sea.

The other guys followed suit, determined to take advantage of the three days they were going to be in Okinawa.

--

Ucchi knocked on Jyuu's and Yankumi's door. He had lost time waiting for the elevator, and he was out of breath from running in the corridors. "Jyuu, it's me... Ucchi."

"Come in. The door's unlocked."

The tall, yellow-haired boy turned the knob and entered the room. He found Jyuu lying on her back atop one of the beds. Her eyes were closed, but she opened them when Ucchi walked in. Sitting up, Jyuu asked, "What's up?"

"Idiot." Ucchi grinned. He sat on edge of the bed, his back facing Jyuu. "Let me catch my breath first."

"What'd you come here for? Shouldn't you be out fighting the waves by now?"

"Shut up, you know what I'm here for."

"Do I?"

"I'm here for you."

Jyuu stared in wonder at Ucchi's bare back. _Where the heck did that come from?_ She yelped as Ucchi suddenly turned and dragged her off the bed. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"I said I'm here for you, didn't I? I meant, 'I'm here to get you', let's go back to the beach while the sun's out."

"I thought you were going mellow on me," Jyuu said, laughing. "It frightened me a bit, you jerk."

"I can't believe you scratched me," Ucchi complained, touching the red marks on his abdomen. "What are you, a cat?"

"Hey, you were the one who surprised me. Who told you to harass me like that?"

"I'm the one harrassed. Come on, let's go."

"All right."

"Another thing, Jyuu. There's something I want to know."

"What?" _The second time today,_ Jyuu thought, recalling her conversation with Yankumi only moments ago.

"Are you in love with Shin?"

Jyuu was caught off guard. Usually, she could just brush off a question like that with a laugh, but Ucchi was asking it so calmly, as if he already knew the answer, that she found herself incapable of masking the dismayed look on her face. As a last effort to save herself, Jyuu went, "He he he... What's gotten into you, ne? You must be out of your mind." She waved her hand at his face.

"You didn't answer my question."

The uncomfortable girl felt her heart beat faster. She thought of escaping, but Ucchi was blocking the closed door. So she simply said, "No. I'm not in love with Shin."

"OK." He opened the door and walked out ahead of Jyuu. As they slowly walked in the hallway towards the elevators, Jyuu stopped.

"Ucchi."

He stopped to turn his head. "Yeah?" He blinked in surprise when Jyuu suddenly hugged him from behind. "Jyuu? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She didn't care to say anything, even though her tears were beginning to make Ucchi's back wet.

On the other hand, Ucchi didn't need any explanation. It was as if he understood right away. Somehow, he knew what the matter was, even before Jyuu did. He unlaced Jyuu's thin arms from his equally thin waist and turned around to wrap her in a big hug. He let her head rest on his shoulder as he murmured, "Fool."

"I didn't see it coming," Jyuu sobbed quietly.

"You two were the only ones who didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"Shin's in love with you, too. He just doesn't want to admit it." _Yet_, Ucchi thought.

Jyuu thought about telling Ucchi he was wrong. That she was crying about some other reason, that the whole thing was a big misunderstanding. But she couldn't. _I probably could, if I could just stop shaking. There's no way I could lie when I'm like this._ "I'm so pathetic," she groaned out loud.

"You really are," Ucchi agreed without hesitation.

--

Yankumi stopped dead in her tracks when she saw two of her students in an embrace. _Jyuu... and Ucchi!?_ Nothing could be more surprising than this. She rubbed her eyes to see if it was for real, and it was. She had hurried to see Jyuu after Kuma finally left the ice cream shop, seeing as how upset the girl seemed, but it looked like somebody already beat her to it. She started to retreat, bumping into somebody. "Shin," she hissed, when she realized who it was.

Looking at Shin's face, Yankumi could plainly see all the color drained from it. No matter how unreadable his expression was, there was no denying the intensity in his eyes. Yankumi took the liberty of making the connection between Ucchi's hugging Jyuu, and Shin's disgruntled face. "Let's go," she whispered to him, pulling him by his arm back into the elevator.

Shin didn't even resist. Once the elevator door slid shut, he started to regain his composure, that by the time they reached the lobby, he was his usual indifferent self.

"Are you all right?" Yankumi asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

The swimsuit clad teacher shrugged. If he wasn't going to talk, so be it. She wasn't going to pry into Shin's thoughts now, since she was still in a mild state of shock over what she saw. They walked over to where the other 3-D guys were resting.

"Where have you been?" Noda asked Shin and Yankumi.

"I just checked something at the hotel," Yankumi replied cheerfully. "Hey, Noda, what do you think about grilling for tonight's dinner?"

"Sounds good, Yankumi!" Kuma shouted. "I like eating outdoors."

"And indoors, and everywhere..." Noda said, rolling his eyes. His face lit up, "Oh, hey! There's Ucchi and Jyuu. Hey, what's up!"

"Maa... you're so red already, Kuma," Jyuu teased their fat classmate. "Stay under an umbrella, you might get cooked."

Kuma paid her insult by carrying her over his shoulder and throwing her into the sea. "There. Drink up!"

"B-ba-ka!" Jyuu sputtered. She waved her first at the smug Kuma, but she wasn't really mad. The roughing up did her some good. She swam over to Minami and they immediately got into the messy business of trying to drown the other.

Ucchi smiled and sat beside Shin on the sand, apart from the others. "Stupid woman, isn't she?"

"The worst."

The amusement in Shin's voice made Ucchi come to the conclusion that he really was fond of their only female classmate. "Shin."

"Hn?"

"When are you going to tell her?"

Shin glanced at his friend. They had never talked about Jyuu like this before, but it was as if they had. Ucchi always had the ability to read him so well that he didn't have to humble down enough to share his feelings, if there were any. "What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. Just go ahead and show her you love her. Lose some of that pride, man."

"Who said I loved her?"

"You didn't have to."

Shin chuckled.

"By the way, what about Yankumi?"

All Ucchi got as an answer was the usual grunt, as Shin stood up and went for a swim.

--

Author's Note: It took me around five hours to write up this short chapter. GOMEN NEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! I'd make it longer, but it's almost 3AM now... I still have to sleep. I hope I'll be able to continue the story as soon as possible. I hope you enjoyed this at least a bit. Sorry if it isn't as good as it should be, considering the update gap. I tried, I really did. Feel free to complain, though. I'll get over it hahah.


	7. The Last Night In Okinawa

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Title: Stand By You

Disclaimer: Gokusen characters not mine. Kawakaze Jyuu mine.

Author's Note: I finally finished this chapter. It's not a very long one, but I think I won't take too long with the next chapter. Well, I hope I won't hahah. Hope you guys haven't gotten tired of waiting around for this story. I don't even know how you will respond to this chapter, but oh well, I hope you won't be _too_ disappointed. Not much happens here, but this still means a lot to me. Enjoy!

---

**ichie:** Thank you for reading and supporting :D

**SierralaineWalsh:** I'm sorry there's no confession _here_ hahah, but I hope you enjoy this one just the same.

**blueprincess16:** Thank you so much for your encouragement! I hope this one will be good enough for your taste :D

**White Alchemist Taya:** It will all be laid out in due time . Please be patient with me. I do need time to sort out some things, I'm a bit spontaneous when writing :D

**x0Skay0x:** I know, right? That was a bit traumatizing, I mean, Yankumi in a _two-piece swimsuit_? But when I imagined it more, she looked really pretty in my mind. :D

**kaikiko:** Well, here's more! Thanks for your compliment! Shiro is a character I made up :D He's cool, isn't he?

**Lexy4eva:** Thanks for encouraging me to continue :D I hope you continue reading as well.

**Rynn:** You know, I did have a tendency to create Mary-Sues when I was younger, but I learned a lot over the years. Thanks for noticing the change :D I really appreciate it. I get really down sometimes when people criticize my character as a Mary Sue, without considering how old I was when I started writing fanfics hahah. I hope this doesn't disappoint. Good day!

**For the rest of the readers, thank you! :D I super appreciate you.**

---

Chapter Seven: The Last Night in Okinawa

It was their second night in Okinawa, not their last yet, and all the boys were out joining a beach party some distance from the hotel. Yankumi knew the boys wouldn't cause trouble in such a public place, and one away from home, too. Should trouble arise, she trusted Shin could handle it, along with Noda and the others. That's why she decided not to go with them. She wasn't in the mood to be amongst a partying crowd of potential drunks, but she agreed to let the boys go with the severe warning for them not to take even a single drop of liquor. She told them she would check up on them from time to time, and anyone caught would have to face _her_, not the principal. The boys were more afraid of Yankumi than the school.

A public beach party was fine with Jyuu, but she decided to accompany Yankumi. The two of them stayed at another outdoor bar not far from where the boys were, but with very few people. At first Yankumi forgot that Jyuu was no longer a minor, but when the younger girl reminded her about her age, they went ahead and ordered some beer.

"You know, I shouldn't be letting you drink," Yankumi said with a grin. "You're not a minor, but you're still a high school student."

"It's up to you, really." Jyuu winked and stuck her tongue out at Yankumi, then drank from her bottle. Both of them were silent for a long time, leaning against the counter and generally just relaxing. Then Jyuu asked, "Ne, Yankumi, why are you a teacher?"

"Well... there are a few reasons, but some part is because I grew up with some very tough guys, and I saw how they were misunderstood by their teachers. Sure they were rough, a lot worse than your classmates even, but they weren't bad people. The treatment they get really do a lot of damage to their self-esteem, you know."

"So you want to be a teacher...one that understands these kinds of students?"

"Yeah. I'm a teacher because I want to look after _everyone_. I don't want kids to turn out bad just because they were treated as though they were, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah. I know what you mean."

"I'm looking forward to the future of my students, including you." Yankumi smiled at Jyuu. "What are you planning to do after graduation, Jyuu?"

"My, we're talking serious here, aren't we? Well, I don't mind," Jyuu shrugged. She thought for a while then answered, "I want to travel the world."

They both drank to that.

"I guess I'm like you," Jyuu continued. "I'm interested in people. There are so many kinds of people, and I want to see as many as I can before I settle down. I don't know, Yankumi, I don't know why people intrigue me so much, both Japanese and foreign."

"Maybe you want to be a psychiatrist, eh?"

Jyuu laughed. "I don't think so. I don't want to spend my days sitting down and listening to people who are so self-centered that they fail at both understanding themselves and others. I want to go out, see the world, meet people from different cultures. Maybe then I'll begin to understand them, regardless of the language."

"Wow, those kinds of things never crossed my mind before. Humans truly are different from each other."

"Cheers!"

---

A couple of hours and several bottles of beer later, both Jyuu and Yankumi were starting to feel the effects of alcohol. Needless to say, they were a bit drunk.

"What's going on with you and Ucchi?"

Jyuu blinked at her teacher. "What? You're so random, sometimes, Yankumi. Nothing's going on between me and Ucchi."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

Yankumi mumbled something that was unintelligible. Then suddenly, "What about you and Shin?"

Jyuu slapped Yankumi's face.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?"

"Your eyes were closing up."

Yankumi slapped Jyuu back. "You look a bit dazed too."

The bartender standing off to one side stared at them.

"Oh darn. I forgot to check up on the guys. Come on, Jyuu, we've had enough."

They put their money on the counter and left. A bit unsteady, the two young women walked towards the loud music nearby. "Do you see them?" Yankumi asked Jyuu when they got there.

"There they are!" Jyuu shouted into Yankumi's ear. They found the guys hanging out by the counter with some girls who were probably also there for vacation. Jyuu rolled her eyes, then laughed along with Yankumi. _These guys can find girls in a boys' school, how much more here in Okinawa?_

---

"Are you drunk?" Noda stared at Yankumi and Jyuu.

Jyuu coughed into her hand. "Well, we might have had more than we should've had," she slurred. She sat down on the stool beside Noda.

"Hey, Jyuu, this is Miyo and this is Suki," Minami, who was just standing, introduced her to the two girls with them.

"Hi. I'm Jyuu. And this is Yankumi. I mean, Yamaguchi-sensei." But by that time, Yankumi was already conked out on the stool beside her. "Heheh... sorry about that. Anyway, nice to meet you girls. Have fun." She spun the rotating stool and turned away from the girls. She began eyeing the liquor bottles displayed on the open bar's shelves.

"Don't even think about it," Noda whispered to her.

Jyuu smiled hugely at him. "What could you mean?"

"What have the two of you been up to?" Shin asked from Noda's other side. As usual, he totally ignored the new girls.

"Muhuhahahah... we were having a grand time. Then we remembered we had to watch over you little boys."

Shin rolled his eyes. He remembered the last time he saw Jyuu drunk. It didn't turn out quite good for him.

"I'm sure Yankumi can watch us fine, passed out like that," Minami cracked, making his new friends, who were also standing, laugh.

"Is Yankumi all right?" Kuma asked. He poked their teacher's cheek, and getting no response, he looked worriedly at Shin, who shrugged.

"She's fine, she's fine," Jyuu said.

"Yo, Jyuu," Ucchi greeted her. He had just gotten back from the comfort room.

"Ohayou!"

Ucchi peered at Jyuu's face. "Drunk."

"Oh, shut up. I'm just in a good mood."

"Drunk."

"You shut up, too, Noda."

"Drunk," Shin joined in lazily.

"Shi-in? Your dear Yankumi is drunk too, you know." Jyuu laughed. Her head was beginning to clear a bit.

Noda and Ucchi laughed as well. "Hey, want to dance, Jyuu?" Noda asked.

"Why don't we all dance?" Jyuu suggested. "Come on, guys!"

Shin stayed behind, which was just as well, so someone could watch Yankumi.

---

Jyuu woke up the next morning with her stomach feeling a little funny. She didn't have a headache, though. "Oi, Yankumi. Where are you?"

"I'm in the bathroom!"

"I think I'm just going to stay in this morning."

Yankumi finished up in the bathroom and got out. "All right. I'll be out all morning, buying presents. You want anything?"

Jyuu shook her head. "Anyway, have fun." She went back to her bed as Yankumi left the room. "What a crappy feeling on my last day here," she grumbled.

She hadn't been alone for five minutes when the door banged open. "JYUU!" She sat up straight and hurriedly buttoned up the long-sleeved polo shirt she had on.

"GUYS! You should've knocked."

"It's just you." Minami, Noda, and Ucchi barged in, followed by Kuma, who was dragging a sleepy Shin behind him.

"What's the plan?" Ucchi asked.

"I'm staying in till lunch," Jyuu said as she looked for a pair of shorts in her bag. She found one and pulled it on. "My stomach's gone weird on me."

"Serves you right," Shin mumbled, massaging his head with one hand, making his red hair even more messy that it already was.

"Yankumi's out to buy presents," Noda said. "We bumped into her on our way here. The other guys are out in the sun, too. How about us?"

"I told you, I'm staying. You guys go ahead and buy presents or whatever."

"I'm staying in, too," Shin spoke up, he was lying on the floor, with his eyes closed.

"Let's all stay in," Minami decided. "I already bought a few souvenirs yesterday. Hey, why don't you order tea or something, Jyuu-chan?"

"Yeah, that might make your tummy feel better," Kuma agreed.

"There's tea here," Ucchi said. He went over to the food and beverages area and got a packet of dried tea leaves. He found a teacup and filled it with hot water from the dispenser, then he placed the tea leaves in. "Here Jyuu."

"Thanks, Ucchi. By the way, what happened to those two girls?"

"Miyo and Suki are on their way home now, I think," Minami answered with a grin. "They're from Osaka. Such cute girls."

"Yeah, they were!" Kuma said loudly. "I forgot there were girls like that when I began hanging out with you, Jyuu-chan."

Everyone laughed.

"You're so mean, Kuma!" Jyuu exclaimed. "That's all I can say. I'm speechless! Shin! Defend me!"

Everyone laughed again. "What a dork," Ucchi said between laughs.

"How's your stomach, Jyuu?" Noda asked.

"Still not so good, but the tea helped." She had gone halfway through the cup. Looking around at the guys sprawled on the carpeted floor, Jyuu felt she couldn't remember the time when she hadn't known them. Somehow the past didn't seem as forbidding as it used to be. "You know what, guys..."

"What?"

"Thanks for everything."

"Is this some hormonal thing?" Ucchi asked.

Jyuu just grinned, put down her teacup on the bedside table, and grabbed a pillow. "Who knows?" she asked, just before attacking Ucchi with the pillow.

Well, a pillow fight ensued.

---

After dinner, the whole class formed a circle on the sand near the shore. They hadn't been able to do much together time before then, because they were always off doing different things. But tonight was different, it was their last night in Okinawa, and the best time for them to relax in each other's company.

"SPEECH! SPEECH!" Some of the boys goaded Yankumi into saying a few words.

"Yeah, give a speech, Yankumi!"

The dark-haired teacher adjusted her glasses, a bit flustered. "Well, if you want it so much..." Her students cheered. When the noise died down, and only the sound of waves remained, Yankumi began her speech, a speech nobody expected to think much of, but would remain in the hearts of her students for a long time, if not forever.

"I started out at Shirokin, hopeful and on fire. It had always been a dream of mine to teach, and finally that dream was in my hands."

The class, except for Jyuu, remembered the day Yankumi first got to Shirokin. They recalled how active she was during the introductory speech, and marvelled at how different the atmosphere was right now.

Yankumi continued. "As you all know, you are my very first students. And you should also know that I never regretted being your homeroom teacher. I would rather have you than the smartest class in any school, and that's the truth. You guys make my life fun. You guys are real. You are good people, always remember that. Don't ever think you're not good enough. And Jyuu, you're my kind of girl. You should have joined us sooner."

"YEAH!" the boys lifted their fists in agreement.

Holding up a hand to quiet them, Yankumi smiled and went on, "It's been a great year with you all, but guys, we all have to go our separate ways soon. You can't remain in high school forever. Try hard, and graduate into a life the others call reality. I would like to tell you though that your life right now is no less real than what lies ahead, so I'm sure you will do well. I wish for you to do well. Soon you will graduate from school, but everyone... don't you ever forget that you don't have to graduate from friendship. If there's anything you should treasure from all your years in high school, it's the bond that you have with each other. So when you all go out into the big wild world, remember that you're not alone." Yankumi looked around at each one's face.

"You're not alone," she repeated.

Jyuu felt her stomach go weird again, but it was a different kind of weird from that morning... _Thank you, Yankumi. Thank you for saying the words I needed to hear so badly._

She wasn't alone in thinking that, too.

---

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Author's Note: Well, that's finally done. I hope you guys enjoyed this one, though it was short :D . I know, I know, it kinda doesn't have much meat, but I still have room for improvement. :D Till the next chapter then!


	8. Hustle and Bustle With Love

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Title: Stand By You

Disclaimer: Gokusen characters not mine. Kawakaze Jyuu mine.

Author's Note: This one is REALLY long... which kind of more than makes up for the very short previous chapter. And also, don't sue me! I don't know anything about the seasons and festival schedules in Japan, so everything I wrote was based on what I just wanted to write. Don't think too much about it, I didn't research. Enjoy!

**bethspore4**: Here you go :D Thank you for reading, dear!

**Rynn**: Oh! I wasn't offended by your previous comment at all! I meant to let you know that I thoroughly appreciated it :D Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**blueprincess16**: I wasn't quite satisfied with Chapter 7, but I'm glad you still liked it. Here's a _very_ long continuation :D Don't get tired of it! Hahah

**To all the other readers **(if there are any hahah)**, thanks! :D**

Chapter Eight: Hustle and Bustle With Love

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Exams were slowly approaching, but before that, there was the Cultural Festival to look forward to. The 3-D class normally didn't join in on any festivities, because nobody ever bothered to go near them anyway, but Yankumi insisted that they come up with an idea for a booth. They spent their homeroom time to list and choose among different suggestions from the class.

"Girls from other schools will be coming to visit, right?" one guy asked.

"Yeah," someone else answered.

"Then how about a host club?"

"Nah, too common!" someone yelled.

"Besides, no girl would trust our class," Noda spoke up from his seat. "Our reputation precedes us."

The whole class groaned.

"Why do we have to get involved, Yankumi?" Minami complained. "We tried during our first year, and it didn't work out. Why should it work now? The people don't like us any more now than they did before. We'll just be making a fool of ourselves."

The others voiced their agreement.

Yankumi slammed a hand on her desk. She looked darkly at the boys. "Shut up, idiots. Don't you understand? This is your last year. You've got to show this school what you're made of! You'll get nowhere with those negative thoughts!"

Kuma held up his hands. "But Yankumi, what can we do? We only have about a week to prepare, and we don't even know what we're going to do."

"That's why you should use your brains to think up some mind-blowing ideas instead of blowing up your minds with discouraging stuff!"

"Yankumi's right," Noda said. "And think about it, this is a big chance to have fun, don't you all think so?"

"You're right," Ucchi agreed.

Minami shrugged. "I guess you're right."

Kuma shook Shin awake. "Ne, what do you think, Shin-chan? What should we do for the festival?"

"Say, where's Jyuu-chan?" someone suddenly asked.

Noda took out his phone and dialed Jyuu's number. "Maybe she's just late, but I'll make sure."

"Hey! I'm here, you guys!" Jyuu entered through the classroom's back door and hurried down the stairs. "Sorry I'm late, Yankumi. My stepfather called in to see how I'm doing. He says sorry for calling at the wrong time, too."

"That's all right. We're trying to think of what to do for the Cultural Festival. Got any ideas?"

"Hmm... " _Blank._ "Well, uh... I really can't think of anything right now."

The class soon returned to lively chatter as they discussed the Cultural Festival. Of course, most of their comments were jokes. Like this one student suggested that Yankumi should just make a show out of beating up some volunteers. I mean, who would believe that a geeky-looking female teacher could beat up anyone? Some kids would probably volunteer just for the heck of it, and boy, wouldn't they be surprised!

"Don't be silly." Yankumi was exasperated but she laughed anyway. "Hey, how about a modeling show??? That would be so cool, ne!"

Everyone stared at her.

"Are you serious?" Minami broke the silence.

Yankumi nodded emphatically. "Of course! Why didn't I think of it sooner? I know this would work out, kids! No girl can resist guys strutting about and posing!"

"Don't be stupid," Shin said, a bit crossly.

"You just want to make fun of us," Kuma protested. "I won't be able to join _that_!"

"I'm really and truly serious, Sawada, Kuma," Yankumi declared. "Everyone is supposed to join in. I want you to be the models even. Someone can do the hosting, and whatnot."

"That's a darned good idea, Yankumi," Jyuu agreed. "I mean, if everyone hates 3-D so much, I bet they all want to see them make a fool of themselves. But we'll do it well... we'll rock the socks off of everyone! I can do the hosting!"

"No you can't, Jyuu!" Yankumi shouted over the growing din. "You're like the flower of this class. The other kids are pretty curious about you, so I'm sure they will pay to see you model!"

"B-But that's crazy! I don't want to do that, Yankumi!"

"Well, you'll have to!"

"That might work," a guy named Ren commented. Then he whispered to Yankumi, "But how do you get everyone to participate?"

Grinning evilly, Yankumi said, "That's easy." She turned to the whole class with a smile so sinister it made even Jyuu shiver a bit. "Those who won't participate will have to take an extra, extra... _extra_-long exam on advanced Math. Of course, with graduation just around the corner, why risk it?"

She basked in the melody of their collective groan.

---

"Who are those guys?"

"I don't know, oi, Yankumi! Who are those men in suits?"

"Shh, shut up Yuusuke. They look official or something."

Yankumi didn't even give her students a glance but continued discussing something seriously with the strange men. Pretty soon, she faced her class. "Has anyone seen a girl wearing white anywhere near?"

"No..." some of the boys murmured.

"Where's Noda and the others?" Yankumi asked. _Of all times to be late._ "Has anyone seen Jyuu?"

"Shin's the only one here," someone answered. He woke Shin up and briefed him on what was going on.

"I did see a girl in white a while ago when I was on my way here. She asked me where Jyuu was, too!" someone yelled. "Who is that girl, Yankumi?"

"How long ago was that? Where was she headed? Where did you say Jyuu was?"

"Well, it was about half an hour ago, or less... I'm not sure anymore." The boy was a bit shaken at the urgency in Yankumi's voice. "I told her Jyuu was on the rooftop. I guess she went there."

"That girl is a danger to Jyuu," Yankumi began. "Eh, Shin!? Wait, where are you going?"

But Shin was already taking two steps at a time towards the rooftop.

---

Jyuu winced in pain and just about fainted when she saw all the blood she was losing. _I'm dead scared. Somebody help me._ "Why do you hate me so much?" She looked up from where she fell on the ground and at the girl standing over her. "I never did anything to you."

The girl laughed dryly. "I don't need to explain anything to you, you lowlife. You deserve to die."

The deep wound on her waist was beginning to make Jyuu feel lightheaded. She could smell her blood. It was sickening. "Please... stop," she croaked. She was in no condition to comprehend anything anymore. From the corner of her eye, she saw her attacker raise her knife, ready to stab her again. "Hina... stop," she pleaded weakly. Her throat was so dry from fear, she could hardly voice anything out.

As the girl named Hina began to swing the knife down, Jyuu shut her eyes and sobbed as she waited for the contact. The next thing she knew, there was the sound of metal scraping the cement floor, and she heard Hina yell in surprise, then a thud. She opened her eyes and found Shin peering at her face.

"Are you all right?"

"Where is she?" Jyuu's eyes looked around wildly for Hina. The girl was on the floor, conscious but unarmed. "She's still here! She's still he-" Shin clapped a hand over her mouth.

"JYUU! SHIN!"

"OH MY GOD!"

"Jyuu, are you alright???"

"Look at all that blood! JYUU!"

"Shin, is she alive?"

"What the hell is going on?"

Yankumi, along with Noda and the others, stood some distance away from them, while the men in suits charged through to grab ahold of Hina. "We already called an ambulance," one of the men said. "Don't move her too much."

Hina went into a rage and finally tired out, she glared at Jyuu, her white clothes stained with bright red. "Why... Why do they like you so much?" Hina struggled to breathe properly as the men injected her with a sedative. "I hate you! I hate you! Why do they like you so much when you're _ nothing_! Why don't they like me..." Her words died out when the sedative finally took full effect.

Jyuu was still sobbing, so Shin made her rest on his lap. "Shh. They're taking her away now. Help's coming."

The others didn't crowd around them, to give Jyuu some air, but they all looked worriedly at the bloody mess. They'd never had this kind of trouble in Shirokin before, and it was frightening to see someone they knew in that condition.

"I don't want to die yet, after all," Jyuu managed to say. Shin had taken off his white shirt to clot up her biggest wound. She had a lot of deep cuts on her arms and legs, but they weren't as critical as the stab on her waist.

Shin just grinned and looked away. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner," he finally said.

"Idiot." Jyuu couldn't keep from crying. "You came just in time."

---

The incident was isolated and kept only within the knowledge of the faculty and the 3-D class. It would do no good for the school if such a thing leaked out, especially with the Cultural Festival so close. When Jyuu was taken away to the hospital, Yankumi's class was left under the care of Fujiyama-sensei, because she went with Jyuu as a guardian.

"I'm so worried," Noda finally let it out.

The whole class had remained silent since they got back. It was only a little more than an hour since lunch break, but the scary incident made it seem to them like the day ought to be over already.

Ucchi didn't say a word. He had nothing to say. He looked over at his red-haired friend and knew that Shin had even less to say. He had buttoned up his school jacket because he no longer had anything under it. He was about to ask Shin how he was doing when Fujiyama-sensei suddenly stood up.

"Well, it's no use for us to keep moping around!" The pretty teacher smiled at everyone. "I'm worried about her, I must admit. But that won't help. So now, weren't you guys planning to do something for the festival?"

"Yankumi said we should do a modeling show."

"Really?" Fujiyama's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! I suggest you do it well, so by the time Jyuu-chan comes back, you'll be ready. It would amuse her greatly, I'm sure!"

---

"It's finally here! The day we've all been preparing for!" Yankumi spoke into a megaphone. It was the day of the Cultural Festival, and parents and students from other schools were starting to arrive.

"I hope we haven't been preparing for nothing," Ucchi grumbled. He was wearing a brown leather jacket with grey-and-white fur collar over a black cotton shirt which fit him just right. His black jeans fit him just right, too. Not too tight, Not loose. He looked like a real model!

"You look fantastic, Ucchi! Now go and promote our show with Minami. There are many people in the hallways!" Yankumi turned to Noda and whispered, "Where's Shin? Still not going to join in, eh?"

Noda laughed. "He'd rather take a math test than strut around in some eye-catching outfit, Yankumi!"

"Look! Jyuu-chan's here!"

Everyone turned to look as Jyuu entered the room, leaning against Kuma. She still limped a little, and had to wear a loose one-piece dress for convenience, but despite that, she had a huge smile on her face. "This I gotta see," she said. The classroom was trasformed into a real fashion center, with a runway and backstage. The chairs were arranged for the audience and three judges. "The place looks really great, everyone."

"I know, right?" Ucchi kissed Jyuu on the forehead. "Settle in, Jyuu, while Minami and I go promote the fashion show."

"We'll see you soon," Minami winked at her.

"Right, right. See if you can hold some people hostage! Hahahah."

"If you weren't in bad condition right now, I'd wallop you!"

Jyuu stuck her tongue out at Minami. "Whatever! Don't hurry back." She sat on the chair Kuma led her to.

"It's a special front-row seat for you, Jyuu-chan," Kuma explained.

"Arigatou ne, Kumai-kun!" She always made fun of the guys, but she really did want to see them modeling. She hoped many people would come see them as well. From the visits she got from Yankumi and the guys, she knew they did a lot of preparations for this.

"Jyuu! So how does it look?" Yankumi beamed at her. "We have such pretty boys, don't you think?"

Some of the guys had already changed into their outfits, and they looked so cool, in Jyuu's opinion. Even their hairstyles were cool. "What time does the show start?"

"It starts at two o'clock, so there's time to get the news out that 3-D's doing a fashion show."

---

After lunch, the boys were looking a bit dejected. They hadn't gotten very good responses, and it looked like all their effort would have to go to waste. "People just don't have any reason to watch us, Yankumi," one of the boys said. "They're not motivated, because it's _us_."

"Don't give up yet, my boys," Yankumi encouraged them. She gritted her teeth. If only she could get Sawada Shin to get involved! He was a popular guy, even in other schools. Though he was known to be part of 3-D, so many girls were always falling in love with him. But still Shin was nowhere to be found. Yankumi went over to Jyuu. "The show will push through, no matter what."

"Yes, it must," the younger girl agreed. She felt so bad for the guys, but she didn't want to show it, so she spent the whole time smiling at everyone.

Kawashima-san, Fuyjiyama-sensei, and Yankumi took their judge's seats.

By then it seemed as though no one would come watch the show, then suddenly, girls began entering the room and as they settled excitedly in their seats, the atmosphere began to change. Gloom was replaced by hope and excitement, highlighted by murmurs and girlish chattering. Pretty soon even boys came into the room. Some were a bit hesitant at first, but seeing the crowd that was slowly filling the room, they marched in confidently, curious about what the 3-D class was about to do.

_Where the heck did all these people come from?_ Jyuu looked around in surprise. Then she smiled a genuine smile this time and gave Noda, who was peeking from the backstage, a thumbs-up sign. All the boys were busy getting ready behind the set-up curtains. _I don't know why these people are suddenly here, but I'll take it!_

Someone turned on the music, and the crowd cheered. The once lonely classroom was already a full house.

Noda strutted out on the runway dramatically, then he posed at the edge amidst cheers. He whipped out a wireless microphone from behind him and said, "Just kidding, my sweet ladies and gentlemen. I am just the host."

The audience laughed. Jyuu had to admit he knew how to work the crowd. Then it was time for the models to show their stuff. They were supposedly showing off their "Winter Collection".

Jyuu's jaw dropped when she saw the first one appear from backstage. All around her the girls were screaming and squealing, practically hysterical. She still couldn't believe it. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

"All right! First up, Sawada Shin! I'm guessing from your reaction that you don't love him very much."

More cheers and laughter.

Jyuu watched as Shin walked lazily on the runway. He even went as far as to pose in his white outfit. He wasn't wearing any shirt, just a sharp-looking white leather jacket, a pair of nicely-fitting white slacks (almost skinny slacks, I can imagine), and a pair of shiny red leather jazz shoes. Every time he posed, the crowd went wild. Jyuu had to put her hand over her open mouth. She still couldn't seem to close it from the shock.

When his turn was done, instead of returning backstage, Shin jumped off the runway and went behind the judges, where Jyuu was sitting. The show went on, and the other guys, inspired by Shin, did such a great job that there was never a quiet moment in the room.

Shin stooped down so his head was level with Jyuu's. "If that didn't cheer you up, I don't know what can."

"Baka," Jyuu muttered.

Shin rolled his eyes.

Jyuu pulled at his hair and frowned. "Baka! No other girl is supposed to see your skin but me." She broke into a huge, huge smile. "Just kidding! You did such a good job, Shin, I didn't know you had it in you." She laughed. After what she had been through, it felt good to really laugh. The 3-D guys were always cheering her up and making her feel safe, and she was thankful.

The redhead sat in the seat beside her and said, "Baka."

"No wonder there are so many people here now. Especially girls. What did you do?"

Shin grunted as if to say never mind. The truth was he helped promote the show when Ucchi told him that Jyuu and Yankumi were looking so discouraged, their smiles couldn't fool the boys. With Shin on board, crowds of girls were easily swayed.

"Ne, Shin," Jyuu whispered into his ear. "You must feel good, ne? All these girls cheering for you and looking at you..."

"I feel good," was all Shin said in reply.

The mixed-color-haired girl huffed subtly and stared at the ongoing runway show. She was a bit agitated, so she decided to ignore Shin while she enjoyed the show. "Woohoo! Kuma! Gambatte ne!" It was Kuma's turn now, and despite his earlier fears, the crowd loved him. So many girls squealed and declared that the chubby boy was cute. Jyuu had to grin at that.

Shin studied Jyuu from the corner of his eye as he relaxed in his chair. He smiled to himself. Yep, he felt good, all right. He just didn't have to say why.

---

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Author's Note: Well, that was long. :D . Are you still awake? Let me know what you think, hm? Till next time!


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